CMP bills could go up $7 per month as soon as this fall
Central Maine Power bills could go up for about 670,000 customers in southern and central Maine as soon as this fall.
State regulators set the timeline Thursday for deciding on part of CMP’s proposed rate hike, which would, if approved as is, hike distribution costs for the average household by about $7 per month.
CMP’s ask here, worth about $69.3 million, is packaged as a “temporary rate” — a way for the utility to increase revenue while the larger $189 million rate case is being deliberated.
The Maine Public Utilities Commission scheduled deliberations for Oct. 6, when the three commissioners are expected to decide if, and by how much, CMP will be allowed to increase rates. CMP originally asked for the temporary rates to be enacted by July 1, but regulators delayed consideration until this fall.
The potential $7 per month increase comes after distribution bills dropped by $11 per month in July due to lapsing storm costs. The full hike, expected to be decided on next spring, could raise monthly bills by $18 over the current cost.
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CMP spokesperson Dustin Wlodkowski said in an email Friday that the temporary rates “would allow CMP to continue making critical grid investment while the full rate proposal is underway.” The temporary rates also account for investments that are already in service, he said.
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“Waiting to act on these types of reliability projects makes them more costly later,” Wlodkowski said.
In its initial filing in April, CMP requested the temporary rates as “necessary relief” for its “harsh financial realities.”
CMP’s financial outlook was downgraded last month by S&P Global Ratings to “negative” because of a lag in this rate case and a $100 million cash flow deficit. Its revenue has stagnated after a previous five-year rate proposal was rejected by regulators last year.
The company has said in regulatory filings that it risks more difficulty in borrowing money if its financial situation does not improve, which could impact future rates for customers.
It has also said in filings that it is hoping to recover some of its lost return on equity — the revenue the company can make back on the infrastructure it builds — through this increase. Utilities can’t mark up the service of providing electricity, and return on equity is the only way they can make profit.
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More than two-thirds of CMP’s temporary rate ask is aimed at recovering expenses on its newly built infrastructure.
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Return on equity has become a focal point in the larger rate case. While CMP says it needs about $61 million more for its return on equity to compete for investment and maintain financial stability, opposition groups have said the utility is asking for more than it actually needs.
Advocates who have intervened in the case can dispute CMP’s claims in filings until Sept. 4. CMP will need to respond to those disputes by Sept. 15, and the PUC will rule on any numbers that are in contention. That schedule is subject to change, though, said Susan Faloon, a spokesperson for the PUC.
The commissioners are expected to decide on final numbers for the temporary rate increase at their Oct. 6 hearing. They’ll also determine when any increase for customers would go into effect.
These temporary rates are refundable to Maine consumers if regulators set the final rates lower than the temporary ones. However, such a scenario is unlikely.
The full rate case will continue with hearings and deliberations through April.
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Tagged: central maine power, CMP, cost of living, electric bills, electric rates, electric utilities, maine public utilities commission
Ethan reports on cost of living for the Portland Press Herald. Before he joined in mid-2026, he covered local news in Augusta and surrounding areas and ran a weekly newsletter for the Kennebec Journal. More by Ethan Horton
