CMP Asks Maine PUC for Permission to Raise Rates

Central Maine Power (CMP) has asked the Maine Public Utilities Commission (PUC) to approve a new rate change.

This move comes several months after the Maine PUC unanimously rejected the utility’s most recent request to increase costs, arguing that the proposal “misse[d] the mark,” noting that Mainers are facing mounting affordability challenges.

Earlier this year, CMP signaled its intention to file for a rate increase this spring, costing the average household around $7 each month.

Because this rate change would coincide with the end date for other charges implemented to help pay for the utility’s response to recent years’ extreme winter storms, however, ratepayers could still expect to see their bills drop by around $4 monthly.

[RELATED: CMP Signals New Rate Increase Filing, Formal Proposal Expected in April]

“If authorized, this proposal will help protect customers from rising costs, reduce financial risk, continue to strengthen the grid, and lower the average residential bill by about four dollars a month starting this summer,” Linda Ball, CMP’s chief executive said in a written statement, as reported by the Portland Press Herald.

That said, Public Advocate Heather Sanborn emphasized that Mainers would see a much more substantial degree of monthly savings this summer if CMP were not attempting to raise rates.

“Without this temporary rate request, customers would see their bills go down by about $11 a month,” she explained.

While Sanborn has said that the rate increase is designed to increase profits, CMP has said that the additional revenue would go towards grid upgrades, more workers, and aggressive tree trimming, as reported by WGME.

“Today, we submitted a proposal that would reduce electricity bills starting this summer, striking a careful balance between affordability and reliable service,” CMP said in a statement shared by the outlet.

“As customers face rising costs across many parts of their lives, this proposal would help ease electric bills,” said Linda Ball, President and CEO of CMP. “This plan also allows us to continue the progress CMP has made in reducing both the frequency and duration of outages.”

“Frequent or prolonged outages can create real hardships for households, businesses, schools, healthcare providers, childcare centers, and others,” the utility said. “Our focus remains on preventing outages whenever possible and restoring power more quickly when they do occur.”

CMP is Maine’s largest utility, serving roughly 670,000 households statewide.

Although CMP expresses an interest in requesting a multi-year rate plan, it explain that it needs to wait to do so until the PUC provides additional and updated guidance for doing so.

[RELATED: Maine Has Highest 2024-2025 Energy Cost Increase With Staggering 36% Hike]

According to an Axios report from this past summer, Mainers saw the highest year-over-year increase in electricity costs nationwide between 2024 and 2025.

In just one year, from May 2024 to May 2025, Maine’s average residential energy costs increased by a staggering 36.3 percent.

Nationwide, there was an increase of just 6.5 percent during this same period.