The Department of Energy has awarded Central Maine Power a $30 million grant to improve the power grid and help reduce the frequency and impact of power outages.
Made possible by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the grant is part of a $3.5 billion package the Biden administration announced Wednesday for 58 projects in 44 states to strengthen electric grid resilience and reliability.
CMP's Vice President of Electrical Operations Adam Desrosiers says some of the funds will be used for smart grid technology like automatic grid restoration.
"That allows the system to automatically figure out where the damaged portion of the circuit is," Desrosier said. "And restore the non-damaged portions of the circuit with automatic switching."
As part of a Biden administration initiative, Desrosier said CMP will target the benefits of the grant toward disadvantaged communities.
CMP is currently trying to defeat a campaign that would convert the state's two largest power companies to a nonprofit. Al Cleveland, a spokesperson for the group Our Power, notes that this large grant is less than Maine electric utilities have spent on that campaign to date.
