July 06, 2007

Increase in Theft of Electric Service Prompts Bangor Hydro Warning

Bangor, ME-- Bangor Hydro Electric Company has recently seen an increase in theft of service. The theft occurs when people tamper with meters or other Bangor Hydro equipment and attempt to divert electricity.

Theft of service is very dangerous because those who aren't trained to work with electricity can face serious injury or even death by electrocution. This type of theft can also compromise the electricity system and possibly cause outages in the area where the theft occurs.

"This isn't a new problem, but new technology in place allows us to better detect the theft," said Kim Wadleigh, Director of Customer Operations. "Our automatic meter reading system runs daily reports and we'll be doing random physical audits to determine if power is being diverted. If someone is stealing electricity, it's only a matter of time before they are caught."

Theft of service can have a negative impact on all rate payers because the money is often difficult to collect as these customers have likely been disconnected for failure to pay.

Electric meter tampering is a crime in the State of Maine and anyone caught improperly diverting or interfering with the devices of a utility can be prosecuted. In addition to automatic meter reading, Bangor Hydro meter readers and other personnel are trained to detect tampering, but you can help, too. We encourage anyone who witnesses an attempt to tamper with a meter or other utility equipment, including substations, to contact us right away at 1-800-499-6600. Your call will be handled in a confidential manner.

"Those calling to report suspected theft only have to give the location," said Wadleigh. "They do not need to give any names or other details. We will investigate from there."

Bangor Hydro-Electric Company (BHE) is an electric utility wholly-owned by Emera Inc. BHE serves a population of 192,000 in an area encompassing 5,275 square miles in eastern and east coastal Maine. BHE is a member of the New England Power Pool and is interconnected with other New England utilities to the south and with the New Brunswick Power Corp. to the north. Visit us at www.bhe.com.

Emera Inc. (EMA-TSX) is an energy and services company with $4.0 billion in assets. Electricity is Emera's core business. The company has two wholly-owned regulated electric utility subsidiaries, Nova Scotia Power Inc. and Bangor Hydro-Electric Company, which together serve 590,000 customers. Emera's other investments include a joint venture interest in Bear Swamp, a 600 megawatt pumped storage hydro-electric facility in northern Massachusetts; a 12.9% interest in the Maritimes & Northeast Pipeline ; and Emera Energy Services which manages energy assets on behalf of third parties and provides related services. Visit Emera on the web at www.emera.com.