MAINE, Maine — More than 130,000 Maine customers lost power during an all-day wind event Saturday, and those severe wind storms have been growing in impact, according to Maine's two major utilities.
Because not all the leaves have fallen, the trees turned into giant sails and caught the wind, causing them to uproot, Central Maine Power communications director Jonathan Breed told NEWS CENTER Maine. Breed said CMP crews saw hundreds of downed trees over the weekend.
Both Breed and Judy Long, the senior communications manager at Versant Power, said their companies were able to restore power to 90% of customers by the end of the day on Saturday.
Long added that responding to those wind storms have been a priority for the company as it works to modernize infrastructure and make the grid more resilient.
“We’ve looked back at the data and we’ve actually seen a rise in the number of storms where the winds exceed 50 miles per hour, and that’s really when we get concerned: when we see sustained winds of 40 to 50 miles per hour," she said.
Versant, Long added, is working to replace older utility polls with stronger ones that are better equipped to handle more impactful conditions. The company is also putting up covered conductors, which can help keep the power going even if a tree or tree limb falls on a power line, along with adding fault detectors so crews can respond to downed areas of the grid more efficiently.
Still, Long noted, it's impossible to clear every tree near a power line due to Maine's forested nature.
Over the summer, Central Maine Power worked on a number of projects to modernize and automate infrastructure. Breed said the company completed its largest grid reliability project which replaced wooden utility poles with steel poles that run along the newly rebuilt 22-mile transmission line from Windsor to Warren.
The company also energized its new substation in Biddeford, which included upgrades that will look to minimize power outages for local customers, according to Breed. CMP will also use $30 million in federal funding to continue to automate more of its systems.
“Because we know these stronger and more frequent storms aren’t going anywhere for the time being," Breed said. “Automation is a great tool that we have and a tool that we’re investing in more and more.”
Automation can help the utilities restore power to customers remotely and cut down on outage times, Breed added.
As we approach winter, both Breed and Long said their companies have plenty of crews ready to respond to storm damage. And if a major event comes to Maine, other out-of-state utility crews will be called into help.
Long said it's important for families to have a plan for a severe storm. She said it's always a good idea to make sure you have plenty of food and water, and to charge your electronic devices before a storm.