The state with already among the highest electric costs nationwide is looking at a massive rate increase by its largest power supplier.
The rate hike over the next five years would bring the added cost to an average Central Maine Power customer of $35 a month.
The first month of the rate increase — if approved — would be October 2026 with a $17 increase, according to a notice from the Public Utilities Commission.
The subsequent yearly increases each October through 2030 would be $5, $4, $4 and $5, bringing the total to $35 per month.
Central Maine Power expects the increases to bring the company an additional $427 million in annual revenue by 2030.
[RELATED: CMP Customers Can Expect to See Their Bills Go Up Next Month]
Company officials said the money would help fund the hiring of additional workers and building a more reliable grid.
“Year-round, our electric grid is challenged by extreme heat in the summer and powerful storms in the winter,” said Linda Ball, CMP’s new president and CEO. “That’s why we’re planning to invest in a stronger, more resilient grid, built by a growing, Maine-based workforce trained right here in our state.”
The CMP rate request will go to the Public Utilities Commission for consideration.
The proposal has set Redditors on fire, with some arguing voters should have approved the statewide power plan known as Pine Tree Power.
Pine Tree Power, a proposed nonprofit utility, was overwhelmingly rejected by voters in November 2023.
The plan would have replaced the state’s existing for-profit electricity providers, including Central Maine Power and Versant Power, with a publicly owned entity.
Had it been approved, the referendum would have marked the first time a state with existing private utilities decided to scrap them all at the same time in favor of a nonprofit model.
Public Advocate Heather Sanborn, who represents ratepayers in utility proceedings, has called the company’s requested revenue increase “eye-popping,” according to the Portland Press Herald, urging for affordability to be prioritized.
“At a time when many families are already struggling to afford their bills, CMP’s proposal asks Mainers to pay even more,” Sanborn said in a written statement.
“We need to ensure electricity distribution costs don’t spiral out of control, especially as our state encourages people to electrify their homes and vehicles to meet climate goals,” said Sanborn. “Affordability must remain front and center.”
Gov. Janet Mills (D) quickly issued a statement condemning CMP’s proposed rate hike, suggesting that the utility was demonstrating a lack of awareness for the economic realities facing Mainers.
“Today’s request from CMP blatantly ignores the economic reality that Maine people face every day, especially seniors on fixed incomes, small businesses, and residents of rural Maine, who are struggling with high costs of electricity, groceries, housing and health care,” said Gov. Mills. “Yet CMP wants to raise their electricity bills again.”
“I recognize that investing in our grid to improve reliability is important, but this request is massive and unacceptable,” the governor wrote. “It undermines legislation I signed to ensure planned electric utility investments are transparent and are made with input from Maine people.”
“I have directed the Governor’s Energy Office to intervene in opposition to CMP’s request, in order to safeguard the interests of Maine ratepayers and uphold the requirements CMP must follow under Maine law,” she added.
Over the next few weeks, Mainers will have the opportunity to weigh in directly on CMP’s proposed rate hikes through the PUC.
Mainers can submit written comment here using the code 2025-00218 or participate in one of the upcoming public hearings.
The first of these hearings is scheduled to take place at the Hilton Garden Inn, located at 5 Park St. in Freeport, on October 14 at 6pm.
The second will be held the next day, October 15, at the Maine Public Utilities Commission, located at 26 Katherine Drive in Hallowell, also beginning at 6pm.
As of this article’s publication, 275 public comments have already been submitted to the Maine PUC regarding these proposed rate hikes.
