What cases have been filed at the Public Utilities Commission?
CMP Reliability Case (“MPRP”). In this case, CMP seeks authority to invest approximately $1.5 billion in its bulk transmission system, claiming that if it does nothing, it will not be able to keep the lights on past 2010. CMP/MPS Connection Case (“MPC”). CMP and MPS jointly propose to build a high voltage (345kv) line that would connect northern and southern Maine electrically. The driving force behind this proposal is a proposed 800MW wind farm slated for construction throughout Aroostook County. The question to be answered in both of these cases is whether the lines are “needed”. In the first case, they will be needed if without them, we would be exposed to blackouts at certain times of the year. In the second case, the need is more difficult to quantify, since it is associated with renewable energy that seeks purchasers throughout New England. We remain curious to see how the Commission addresses the “need” in this case.