Structure Replacement Program
Find our upgrade locations here
Search mapStructure Replacement Program
Brown steel poles will replace more than 130 wood structures on CMP's Section 53 from Auburn to Norway.
Project Overview
Central Maine Power (CMP) is investing in transmission line upgrades to continue providing our customers with safe, reliable service and to strengthen Maine’s energy grid. This is especially important as our state experiences more extreme weather and storms.
Transmission lines, along with substations, are the "backbone” of CMP’s grid that serve large numbers of customers. Our company regularly inspects our lines to ensure each grid component is performing according to standards. During recent inspections of transmission lines throughout CMP’s service area, we identified wooden structures that need replacing.
Existing structure
Proposed structure
Project Scope
CMP is undertaking a two-year program to upgrade wooden structures with new, stronger steel poles that have longer lifespans and are engineered to modern specifications that improve grid reliability.
In 2025, new structures will be installed in 30 communities: Auburn, Augusta, Baldwin, Buxton, Dallas Plantation, Edgecomb, Fryeburg, Harrison, Hollis, Lang Township, Lewiston, Limington, Mechanic Falls, Newcastle, Norway, Ogunquit, Oxford, Paris, Poland, Saco, Sandy River Plantation, Sanford, Somerville, Standish, Union, Waterford, Wiscasset, Woolwich, Washington, and York. A portion of these upgrades are taking place on an 18-mile transmission line that travels from Auburn to Norway.
Additional structures will be replaced in 2026 and 2027.
Abutters and neighbors to project sites can expect:
- Access: CMP crews will be accessing our transmission line corridor via roads where CMP has access rights or legal agreements with property owners or towns.
- Flagging: CMP crews will be visiting transmission line sites that are scheduled for upgrades to measure and mark property boundaries and environmentally sensitive areas. Please do not remove any staked flags.
- Matting: Timber ground mats will be used, especially in environmentally sensitive areas, to safely disburse the weight of construction vehicles and not disrupt the land below them.
- Permits: CMP will secure all municipal, state, and federal permits, if required.
- Pole heights: The new steel structures will be, on average, five feet taller. The older wooden poles will be removed.
- Outages: Most of CMP’s construction work will be completed without customers experiencing an interruption of service.
- Work hours and noise: Work activity periods will comply with town ordinances. Typical construction noise, including drilling, will occur. Abutters may hear heavy equipment (bucket trucks, cranes, and excavators) during construction activities.
- Safety: Transmission crews will be working along streets, including transmission line corridor entrances. Flaggers and signs will notify pedestrians and motorists of work zones.
At CMP, safety is a priority – yours and our crews. Our right-of-way and road locations will be active construction zones. Please do not enter work zones.
Project Map
The Structure Replacement Program and Section 53 Interactive Map shows locations where poles will be replaced in 2025. Enter your address in the search bar to see what work may be planned in your area
Section 53 Visual Renderings
Included in the map are links to visual renderings of selected Section 53 locations, some with high visibility or significance to residents. These demonstrate what area residents may expect to see once the project is complete. Please note: In the "new" images, expected changes to plants and trees from trimming may be adjusted in the field based on actual conditions and forestry standards.
Get in touch
For more information about the Structure Replacement Program, please contact Project Outreach. A specialist will be in touch with you.