PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • December 9, 2024
With the removal last month of a final piece of cast iron pipe installed in 1927, a $178 million, 14-year gas distribution replacement project in Portland and Westbrook came to an end. Swapping out 126 miles of cast iron and unprotected steel pipes with high-density plastic pipe and making other upgrades were among Unitil Corp.’s “largest and most aggressive capital improvement initiatives,” said the natural gas utility that owns and maintains the system. Some of the pipes were more than 100 years old. Fewer gas leaks and a drop in methane emissions are among the project’s benefits.