Effects of climate change underlie CMP rate hike request

MAINE SUNDAY TELEGRAM • December 18, 2022

Dealing with stronger and more frequent storms and complying with policies aimed at moving away from fossil fuels for transportation and buildings will require unprecedented investment to transform the electric distribution grid. CMP proposes to accelerate that process by spending $570 million between 2023 and 2025 on a plan it has dubbed Powering Maine. If fully granted by the Public Utilities Commission, CMP’s rate request would generate an additional $100 million in revenue by 2025. An average residential bill would edge up 8 percent by then, or a total of $10 a month. That won’t sit well with many Mainers. The PUC has scheduled up to four days of public hearings for mid-May.