MAINE SUNDAY TELEGRAM • August 6, 2023
We loved Central Maine Power when it was locally owned and operated. But we all know that today’s CMP is not the CMP of 1998, and that can be traced back to when it was bought by Iberdrola, a multinational corporation whose primary shareholders are the governments of Norway and Qatar, as well as the investment company Blackrock. Versant Power is owned by Enmax, which is owned by the city of Calgary, Alberta. I have nothing against Norway, Qatar and Calgary, but providing Mainers with the cheapest, most reliable electricity possible is not in their best financial interest. I don’t think Pine Tree Power will fix all our electric woes. But I keep thinking about how, in 2022, CMP made $187 million in profit. What could that $187 million have done if it had been left here in Maine? Improved the grid so that power doesn’t go out as much? Hired more line workers so power could get back on more quickly? Invest in renewable energy, which will save both money and our planet in the long term? ~Victoria Hugo-Vidal