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Suspension Order Issued In Utility’s Proposed Revisions To Generator Terms Of Conditions
The Maine Public Service Commission suspends Central Maine Power Company’s (CMP) request for approval of proposed updates to its Terms and Conditions Section 60.
[***} “On July 2, 2025, Central Maine Power Company (CMP) filed a request for approval of proposed updates to its Terms and Conditions Section 60.
Because sufficient time does not exist prior to August 1, 2025, to allow the Commission to fully investigate the matter, the Commission hereby suspends the operation of said revisions, pursuant to 35-A M.R.S. § 307(3), for a period of 12 months with a suspension effective date of August 1, 2025 and with the suspension continuing through and including August 1, 2026, unless otherwise ordered by the Commission.” {***}
Previously parties filed comments on CMP’s proposed revision.
Peter Fitzgerald files comment and seeks an extension. {***} “Pursuant to 35-A.M.R.S.A. § 307 and Chapter 120 of the Maine Public Utility Commission (“Commission” or “MPUC”) Rules, Central Maine Power Company (“CMP”) requested approval of their proposed revisions to Terms and Conditions (“T&C”) Section 60 of the Tariff. The Commission noted that, “A copy of this Notice shall be sent to the service list in Docket No. 2023-00103.” As I investigate the background of this discussion, I would like to note that these dockets are also relevant and request that Notices be sent to their service lists as well: 2021-00035, 2021-00262, 2021-00270, and 2021-00277. I also request an extension to the comment period, so that there is additional time to review the related dockets in more detail. If the Commission agrees that others should receive notices, an extension will also provide them with the necessary time to submit comments.” {***}
OPA said that, while it supports the revision if it is demonstrated that it will mean “that costs to upgrade the infrastructure resulting from interconnection requests will be captured by the screening and fairly allocated to the cost causer”, it recommended CMP be required to “demonstrate that it has implemented changes to the interconnection screening process that will improve the existing interconnection timelines and allow the new under 1 MW project screening requirements to be implemented expeditiously”;
Coalition for Community Solar Access and the Maine Renewable Energy Association (CCSA-MREA) and Nexamp objected to exemption of only projects with an in-service date (ISD) prior to 1/1/26, given that “ISDs are dependent on utility-side readiness and are not solely within the control of developers,” and recommended exemption of all projects with signed interconnection agreements (IAs), as these “had reason to specifically believe they did not have this exposure” to transmission-level study requirements.
See all filed comments here.
As background, CMP initially filed an application for approval of changes to its Terms & Conditions Section 60, “Generator Interconnection Transmission System Impact Studies,” to require a transmission screen for projects under 1MW, with the project responsible for addressing any adverse impacts identified. CMP says that a transmission level study of smaller distributed generation (DG) projects is necessary given that the significant increase in such projects combined with shoulder seasons with light load and high levels of DG penetration have led to conditions that significantly strain the local transmission system and could pose serious safety or reliability problems if unaddressed.
CMP also proposed requiring an up-front study cost fee for all projects, given difficulties in recouping study costs from projects for previous studies.
Suspension Order (07/31/2025)
2025-00210 (0702/2025)
(Request For Approval Of Tariff Revision Pertaining To Central Maine Power Company.)
