Part 2: How We Respond to Storms

In this part two of a two-part episode of On the Line, Dustin and Katie bring you to the York County Emergency Management Agency for an up-close look at how CMP partners with Maine's EMAs during storms and how this longstanding partnership has evolved over time.

In this part one of a two-part episode of On the Line, Katie and Dustin take you behind the scenes at CMP for an inside look at how we plan for and respond to any major storm. From weather forecasting to logistics, Adam Desrosiers, CMP’s Vice President of Electric Operations, explains how thousands of people work together to make sure Maine’s businesses and families have electricity restored when a storm hits.

CMP’s work to facilitate expansion and economic growth in Greater Portland is constant. In this episode, Katie and Dustin learn about how big buildings are added to the electric grid and how CMP performs an enormous amount of planning to make sure this happens seamlessly. They also look at ways CMP is working in the short and long term to identify future needs, study how the grid might evolve and make sure both Portland and Greater Portland are successful, meet community goals and have a resilient grid in the face of climate change. Guests include Mayor Michael Foley of Westbrook and Chris Morin, CMP Senior Director of Integrated System Planning.

In this episode, Katie and Dustin look at how CMP powers the annual Clam Festival in Yarmouth, Maine! Hear from festival organizers, including the Yarmouth Chamber of Commerce, about the immense planning that goes into this community event. You'll also hear interviews with the CMP team that layers a temporary electric grid onto the streets of Yarmouth for this multi-day spectacle in order to get those clams cooking for more than 100,000 people each year.

In this episode, Dustin and Katie hit the road to ISO New England, the non-profit, independent grid operator that monitors every watt of power in our region each minute of each day. They speak to Matt Kakley, lead communications specialist for ISO-NE, about the important role the organization plays ensuring power is safely delivered from generation sources like power plants to every appliance in your home. They also ask about the work ISO-NE does to forecast electricity needs in Maine and New England, including for summer 2023 and touch on ways Avangrid and CMP work together to ensure customers in Maine are seamlessly connected to the New England grid.