Central Maine Power customers in Farmington, Industry and New Sharon have likely seen crews out trimming trees around CMP’s electric distribution lines. This work is part of the company’s ongoing effort to protect the system from potential hazards caused by fallen branches and vegetation overgrowth. This trimming activity will cover the entirety of this 100-mile circuit.
“We are working every day to improve reliability for our customers across our service area,” said CMP President and CEO Joe Purington. “Falling trees and limbs are the leading cause of outages here in Maine, so proactive trimming, like we’re doing along this circuit, is key to minimizing the impact vegetation has on our grid. Ultimately, this reduces power outages for our customers.”
CMP works through five-year cycles of tree work to significantly reduce the occurrence of tree-related outages. Throughout these five-year cycles, CMP prunes trees along every mile of its distribution lines in trimming zones approved by the Tree Care Industry Association, totaling more than 24,000 miles of wires. This cycle ensures that approximately 20 percent of the entire system is trimmed every year. Additionally, CMP installs automated equipment along the system, which prevents momentary contacts from wind-blown branches from turning into a power outage for customers.
Learn more about CMP’s Tree Trimming Program here.
