Maine regulators direct utilities to make power grid more resilient against storms
Jul. 25—Maine regulators on Thursday announced their priorities for utilities in a decade-long grid planning process, calling for greater investment in resilience against storms and leaning into technology to help rein in rising costs.
The Public Utilities Commission detailed what's to be included in grid planning, a lengthy process that drew comments from dozens of participants, including the Governor's Energy Office, environmentalists, Central Maine Power, Versant Power, the state Public Advocate and others. Utilities face increasing electrification of building heating and cooling and electric vehicles to cut greenhouse gas emissions.
"This is a pivotal time for Maine's electric distribution grid, which requires substantial investment to continue to serve customers safely and reliably, particularly in light of Maine's beneficial electrification goals," said PUC Chairman Philip Bartlett II.
The Governor's Energy Office said grid planning is a "first step in understanding what Maine's electricity grid needs will be as customers increasingly choose to electrify their heating and transportation" and as electricity increasingly comes from sources other than fossil fuels.
The PUC directed utilities to invest in improving the reliability and resilience of the grid, but also apply cost-saving technology that helps manage peak demand and electricity congestion on the grid without building or upgrading a grid system. These could include rooftop solar installations, batteries that store and release energy and energy efficiency.
The PUC also said utilities must broaden the use of smart meters, improve mapping of the distribution system and develop a governance policy or protocols to maintain data.
And regulators directed the utilities to improve their forecasting of how much electricity will be needed to support increased electric vehicle use and climate change, support the use of rooftop solar, wind turbines, waste-to-energy plants and other energy sources.
Ratepayers got a break with falling natural gas prices, but face higher bills to pay for storm cleanup, renewable power and incentives for electric heat pumps and electric vehicles.
Beginning Nov. 1, 2022, and every five years afterward, the PUC initiates a proceeding to identify the priorities to be addressed by utilities regarding a grid plan that will help advance a cost-effective transition to a clean, affordable and reliable electric grid. Regulators will consult environmentalists, the Public Advocate and others to identify priorities, assumptions goals and methods to help develop a grid plan.
In comments to the PUC, Versant said it anticipates that greater electrification of buildings and vehicles and increased solar power "will add new stresses" to the transmission and distribution system, leading to overloads and voltage that exceeds its upper limit or a safe range. It will likely require more system upgrades, it said.
CMP told regulators that one of the challenges in the transition to clean energy will be how to incorporate the rising cost of upgrades required to keep up with increased electrification without sacrificing "essential utility investments for reliability and resiliency."
The Governor's Energy Office said utilities should post a "transparent online database" of its electricity load forecasting. At a minimum, the utilities should provide an overview of its forecasting
methodology and assumptions for energy efficiency and customer shift in demand to save money, such as early morning use of appliances, weather, climate and resiliency and other factors.
The Legislature and Gov. Janet Mills enacted a law in 2022 requiring the PUC to initiate proceedings every five years to identify the priorities of Maine's two dominant transmission and distribution utilities regarding a grid plan. The intent was to help a "cost-effective transition" to a clean, affordable and reliable electric grid, the PUC said.
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