Squirrels have caused three power outages in two years at one Versant Power substation. Here’s what the utility is doing to prevent more. Release Date: 08-07-2023BANGOR, ME – On Sunday, October 9, 2022, 7,500 people in Bangor lost power. The culprit? A squirrel. A similar situation occurred two weeks prior at the same location. Versant Power, which serves customers in northern and eastern Maine, has since taken steps to prevent future squirrel-related outages by installing electric fences to keep the animals away. This week, Versant Power line workers will energize one of these fences, which was installed around the Broadway substation on North Street in Bangor. The fence is a product of Transgard, the leading animal-deterrent fencing for electrical substations. In cases where a squirrel encounters electrical equipment at a substation and causes an outage, it is electrocuted. This fencing solution delivers a humane and effective electric shock that deters climbing animals before they can enter more dangerous areas. "In suburban areas, there are always a lot of squirrels, and for some reason this substation has been a magnet for them,” said Power Systems Technical Supervisor Riley McKay, the project manager for the fence installation. Squirrels, birds, and snakes are a leading cause of power disruptions. In Maine, trees are the primary cause of outages, but squirrels especially become an issue in autumn as their activity increases in preparation for winter. At the Broadway substation alone, three separate squirrel-related power outages have occurred over the last two years, leading to 20,000 customer outages. When a squirrel spans an insulator and touches both an energized conductor and a grounded structure, or two different phases of energized conductors, the squirrel creates a fault path. This causes a surge of fault current. Fault current can cause extensive damage to substation assets. Versant's protective equipment senses the fault current then operates to protect both substation assets and downstream customers, resulting in a power outage. The Tibbetts Street substation in Brewer also experienced several squirrel-related outages in 2017, 2019 and 2020 – this was before the company installed their first Transgard fence on a pilot basis in May 2021. Since that time, there have been no squirrel-related outages at that substation. “In potential sites we look for the space between the substation fence and the structures, and we look for overhanging structures as well. You can’t prevent all the squirrels from getting in, but we’re hopeful this will help based on how effective the fence at the Tibbetts Street substation has been,” said McKay. The new electric fences are located inside exterior fences that are not electrified, ensuring the public cannot come in contact with them. Versant also installs squirrel guards at all distribution substations, which makes the electric fences an added layer of protection. Following the success of the pilot program, McKay noted that the company plans to install more fences around substations to improve reliability for customers. Please Identify Your Service Area Click on your district on the map, or select a zip code or town from the lists. Select Your District on the Map Below or By Zip Code Select your zip code 04401 04402 04408 04410 04411 04412 04414 04415 04416 04417 04418 04419 04422 04423 04426 04427 04428 04429 04430 04435 04444 04448 04449 04450 04453 04455 04456 04457 04459 04460 04461 04462 04463 04468 04469 04471 04472 04473 04474 04475 04476 04479 04481 04489 04493 04495 04496 04497 04605 04606 04607 04609 04611 04612 04613 04614 04615 04616 04617 04622 04623 04624 04625 04626 04627 04628 04629 04630 04631 04634 04635 04640 04642 04643 04644 04646 04648 04649 04650 04652 04653 04654 04655 04656 04658 04660 04662 04664 04666 04667 04669 04672 04673 04674 04675 04676 04677 04679 04680 04681 04683 04684 04685 04691 04693 04730 04732 04733 04734 04735 04736 04737 04738 04739 04740 04741 04742 04743 04744 04745 04746 04747 04750 04751 04756 04757 04758 04760 04761 04762 04763 04764 04765 04766 04768 04769 04772 04773 04774 04775 04776 04777 04779 04780 04781 04783 04785 04786 04787 04928 04930 04932 04939 or By Town Select Your Town Addison Allagash Alton Amherst Argyle Twp Ashland Ashville Atkinson Aurora Bangor Bar Harbor Barnard Twp Bass Harbor Beals Bear Island Beddington Beech Hill Benedicta Bernard Birch Harbor Blaine Blue Hill Blue Hill Falls Bowerbank Bradford Bradley Brewer Bridgewater Brooklin Brooksville Brownville Brownville Jct Bucks Harbor Bucksport Burlington Cardville Caribou Carmel Castle Hill Caswell Centerville Chapman Charleston Cherryfield Chester Clayton Lake Clifton Columbia Columbia Falls Connor Corea Corinna Corinth Costigan Cranberry Island Crouseville Crystal Cutler Cyr Plantation Deblois Dedham Deer Isle Dennysville Derby Dexter Dixmont Dover-Foxcroft Dyer Brook Eagle Lake East Blue Hill East Machias East Millinocket Eastbrook Easton Eastport Ebeemee Twp Eddington Edinburg Edmunds Twp Ellsworth Enfield Estcourt Station Exeter Fort Fairfield Fort Kent Fort Kent Mills Franklin Frenchboro Frenchville Garfield Garland Glenburn Gouldsboro Grand Isle Great Pond Green Lake Greenbush Greenfield Twp Guerette Hall Quarry Hamlin Hammond Hampden Hancock Harborside Harrington Hermon Hersey Holden Houlton Howland Hudson Hulls Cove Indian Island Island Falls Islesford Jacksonville Jonesboro Jonesport Kenduskeag Lagrange Lakeview Plt Lamoine Larrabee Lee Levant Lille Limestone Lincoln Lincoln Ctr Little Deer Isle Littleton Loring Afb Lowell Lubec Lucerne Ludlow Machias Machiasport Madawaska Manset Mapleton Mariaville Marion Twp Mars Hill Marshfield Masardis Mattamiscontis Twp Mattawamkeag Maxfield Medford Medway Merrill Milbridge Milford Millinocket Milo Molunkus Twp Monticello Moro Plantation Mt Desert Nashville Naskeag New Canada New Limerick New Sweden Newburgh Northeast Harbor Northfield Oakfield Olamon Old Town Orient Orland Orneville Twp Orono Orrington Osborn Otis Otter Creek Oxbow Passadumkeag Passamaquoddy Res Patten Pembroke Penobscot Perham Perry Plaisted Pleasant Point Portage Presque Isle Pretty Marsh Prospect Harbor Quimby Roque Bluffs Saint David Saint Francis Saint John Salsbury Cove Sargentville Seal Cove Seal Harbor Seawall Sebec Seboeis Plt Sedgwick Sheridan Sherman Silver Ridge Sinclair Smyrna Mills Soldier Pond Somes Sound Somesville Sorrento South Blue Hill Southwest Harbor Squa Pan T11, R4,7,B St Agatha Stacyville Starboard Steuben Stillwater Stockholm Stonington Sullivan Sunset Sunshine Surry Sutton Island Swan's Island Town Hill Tremont Trenton Trescott Twp Upper Frenchville Van Buren Veazie Wader Wallagrass Waltham Washburn West Tremont Westfield Westmanland Whiting Whitneyville Williamsburg Twp Winn Winter Harbor Winterport Winterville Woodville Wytopitlock Versant Power provides electric delivery service to two areas – the Bangor Hydro District and the Maine Public District. The Bangor Hydro District includes Hancock, Piscataquis and Washington Counties and most of Penobscot County. The Maine Public District serves Aroostook County and a small piece of Penobscot County. Because some information varies by District, please identify your District on the map above, or enter your town or zipcode. If you need information on both Districts, switch back and forth at any time by selecting the district selector button. If the browser you are using has cookies enabled, you will only have to make this selection once.( If your browser has cookies disabled your selection will be remembered until you close the browser, but not when you return to the site.)
Versant Power provides electric delivery service to two areas – the Bangor Hydro District and the Maine Public District. The Bangor Hydro District includes Hancock, Piscataquis and Washington Counties and most of Penobscot County. The Maine Public District serves Aroostook County and a small piece of Penobscot County. Because some information varies by District, please identify your District on the map above, or enter your town or zipcode. If you need information on both Districts, switch back and forth at any time by selecting the district selector button. If the browser you are using has cookies enabled, you will only have to make this selection once.( If your browser has cookies disabled your selection will be remembered until you close the browser, but not when you return to the site.)