Dozens of ratepayers turned out in Freeport Tuesday to speak out against a proposed electricity rate hike sought by Central Maine Power.
A group of protesters converged outside the Freeport Town Hall an hour before the Maine Public Utilities Commission hearing. They carried signs that read "fight the hike!" and "stop CMP corporate handouts!" Central Maine Power's proposed rate hike would take place over the course of five years and cost about $35 more per month for the average Maine household.
The utility company, which services nearly 700,000 customers, says it will help pay for needed improvements such as tree trimming, storm cost recovery and expansions to the grid and to the customer service staff — all aimed at making the system more reliable and resilient.
Former state Democratic lawmaker Seth Berry, who serves as executive director of Our Power, a Maine energy nonprofit, told Maine Public that he's never seen such a steep rate hike. He said CMP already makes enough of a profit to cover its own costs.
"Yes, we all know we need to invest in the grid," he said. "But where should the money come from? Should the money come from the profits of the company, which right now are about $200 million a year that we're sending out of the country? Or should they come out of the pockets of Maine people?"
Ratepayers have also spoken up online, flooding the PUC with hundreds of comments opposing the rate increase.
Inside the Freeport meeting house, dozens of people gave formal statements to the members of the Public Utilities Commission, all speaking against the proposal.
John Hafner of Old Orchard Beach runs his local Veterans of Foreign Wars outpost. He said he's worried rate increases would substantially affect his organization's ability to deliver on their mission.
"Our [electric] bill is disgustingly high. It's unbelievable how much we pay, and we could be giving that to the actual veterans in our community," he said. "This would kill us."
Others who testified emphasized that Central Maine Power is owned by a foreign-owned company taking in substantial annual profits. CMP is a subsidiary of Avangrid, which was acquired and privatized by international parent company Iberdrola late last year.
After the hearing, Maine Public Advocate Heather Sanborn told Maine Public that the outpouring of opposition to the proposal should tell the utility that its plan is just too expensive.
"We heard from folks that are struggling to pay for their groceries and are really worried about their neighbors. That was the theme that really struck me tonight," she said.
Dustin Wlodkowski, a spokesperson for Central Maine Power, said the utility tried to factor affordability into the rate change proposal. He said the proposed plan includes necessary, substantial upgrades to the grid, including the installation of secondary and backup lines into neighborhoods and installing smart devices that can reroute power along the backups should a line go down.
Wlodkowski said now is a key time to make upgrades to the grid to handle increasing demand from a growing population and new technology.
"If we don't act now, as more Mainers adopt EVs and heat pumps, everybody will be paying more in the future," he told Maine Public.
The utility says it wants to raise its annual revenue by $427 million in order to hire hundreds of new employees and make the upgrades.
The PUC is expected to take about a year to consider the rate case.
If they approve it, ratepayers will see an average increase of $17 per month starting in October 2026, and that amount would rise steadily over four more years.