Bangor Hydro is responsible for the safe and reliable operation of the electric system in Eastern Maine. The higher voltage power network that carries electricity long distances is considered Transmission, whereas the lower voltage lines that delivery power to a customers home or business is considered Distribution.
The Transmission development component of our business ensures that we assess needs and build or maintain infrastructure such that it can continue to serve customer needs, both reliably and safely.
Bangor Hydro has completed a series of transmission system upgrades to meet reliability and capacity needs. A few of these projects include:
Northeast Reliability Interconnect (2006) - A new 85-mile, 345 kilovolt transmission line from Orrington to the Canadian border interconnecting with a similar line in New Brunswick. This project established an important redundant international connection and increased power flow capacity. Hancock County Reliability Project (2008) - A new 14-mile, 115 kilovolt transmission line from Ellsworth to Trenton. This project brings a significant improvement to electrical reliability for customers in lower Hancock County by creating a redundant and higher capacity connection to the region. Keene Road 345 kV Substation (2010) - A new 345 kilovolt substation to feed our northern system. This new connection establishes a redundant and stronger feed to the Northern division to serve existing customers and support future load growth. Line 64 Rerate (2011) - A 44-mile reconstruction of an existing, 40-year-old 115 kilovolt transmission line feeding Bangor Hydro's northern region. This new line from Veazie to Chester creates important redundancy to our customers in this region. MDI Reliability Project - The MDI Reliability Project is a combination of local transmission and distribution upgrades to improve service to multiple coastal island communities with a combined load of approximately 30MW. The key objectives of this project are to establish two redundant feeds onto MDI, which would provide a back-up in case one line is out of service. These upgrades are designed to establish a robust on-island network to meet reliability and capacity needs of customers for the next 20 years. Orrington / MPRP Upgrade Project - The Orrington / MPRP Upgrade Project is comprised of three physical upgrades required to accommodate Central Maine Power's (CMP) Maine Power Reliability (MPRP) Project. The Orrington substation is a hub for the transmission system in our service territory, and a primary interface between our system and CMP's. Two additional structures are needed to accept a 345 kV line and a 115 kV line. These two new line terminations are part of the MPRP project. Once constructed, Bangor Hydro has an agreement with CMP to own and operate the line facilities in our service territory. An existing capacitor bank will also be reconfigured. Bangor Hydro is grateful for the support of private landowners and communities that were involved with the project and proud of our workers and business partners who contributed to these accomplishments.
