Central Maine Power Accepts Final Wood Pole Delivery for Maine Power Reliability Program

July 25, 2013
Central Maine Power Company (CMP), a subsidiary of Iberdrola USA, has reached another milestone in construction of its Maine Power Reliability Program (MPRP), a $1.4 billion upgrade of its bulk electric transmission system in Maine.

Central Maine Power Company (CMP), a subsidiary of Iberdrola USA, has reached another milestone in construction of its Maine Power Reliability Program (MPRP), a $1.4 billion upgrade of its bulk electric transmission system in Maine.

After a 3,200-mi journey by truck from the Bellingham, Washington, the last shipment of nine wood poles out of a total of 7,805 poles arrived at the company’s construction materials yard in Leeds, Maine. The poles — between 55 and 60 ft tall — will be installed on 115-kV transmission lines being rebuilt in parts of Androscoggin and Franklin Counties.

“CMP is building a smarter, stronger grid for Maine, and this final pole delivery represents a key milestone for the project,” said Doug Herling, vice president of Special Projects for CMP. “We purchased more than 7,800 poles, which we believe was one of the largest orders ever for a single project.”

The 7,805 wood and wood-laminate poles will support 442 mi of new and rebuilt transmission line for the MPRP. The new and upgraded lines connect six new substations, four new autotransformers, and dozens of other upgraded CMP facilities.

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