Central Maine Power Co. has reached a major completion milestone as part of the Maine Power Reliability Program, a $1.4 billion upgrade of its bulk electric transmission system in Maine. Crews from L.E. Myers, a transmission line contractor with offices in Palmyra and New Gloucester, Maine installed a new three-pole, 115-kV transmission structure in Appleton, Maine, on Saturday, Oct. 26.
Nearly 1,000 structures have been set each year since construction started on the project in the fall of 2010. By the time construction is completed in 2015, nearly 5,200 structures will have been set.
“The installation of this structure marks a significant milestone, not only for Central Maine Power Company, but also for the State of Maine,” said Doug Herling, vice president of Special Projects for CMP and Executive Sponsor of the MPRP. “The MPRP has helped keep Mainers at work through several tough years while strengthening the reliability of Maine’s transmission grid. This is another example of crews working hard to help create a stronger, smarter grid for Maine.”
L.E. Myers employs approximately 130 people on the program, and its team includes major subcontractors Shaw Brothers, Aldridge Electric, and Maine Drilling and Blasting. Other major contractors working on the MPRP with program manager Burns & McDonnell include Irby, Hawkeye LLC, Cianbro, Sargent Corporation, E.S. Boulos, and CPM Constructors.
The MPRP will ensure the long-term reliability of CMP’s bulk power system. The project includes the construction of four new 345-kV substations, one new 115-kV substation, and related facilities linked by approximately 440 mi of new transmission lines. The new facilities will reinforce the backbone of the company’s 40-year-old bulk power system and improve reliability. The MPRP is the largest construction project ever undertaken in Maine. More than 2,700 people are employed directly in the construction, and a 2009 economic impact study projected that the construction spending would generate as many as 900 more jobs through indirect and induced employment.
