Maine regulators lift historic poor-performance penalty on CMP

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • February 17, 2022

Maine regulators voted Thursday to remove a penalty for poor performance on Central Maine Power Co. in line with staff recommendations last month, but it could be reimposed if performance slips again. The Maine Public Utilities Commission levied the penalty in February 2020 after customers complained of high billing errors and poor customer service related to the utility’s new billing system and a historically strong October 2017 wind storm. The penalty cost CMP shareholders an estimated $10 million in reduced earnings for at least 18 months starting March 1, 2020, in the highest penalty ever imposed by the commission.