Versant Power's 2024 projects to improve reliability
Bangor and Presque Isle, ME- Versant Power completed a variety of projects throughout northern and eastern Maine last year as part of an ongoing effort to improve system reliability.
In Machias, crews replaced a 65-year-old substation with a new one in a better location. The new site replaces the former Bad Little Falls substation, is out of the public eye, and is no longer along the Machias River. It features modernized equipment including a new transformer, a control house, and improved communications technology.
Over the summer, crews updated equipment at the University of Maine’s Steam Plant substation. Improvements will increase service reliability to the Steam Plant, which provides heating to 90% of campus, as well as the Alfond Arena, Hotel Ursa, and other campus buildings.
The Orono area and about twenty surrounding towns will soon benefit from a new Versant system configuration called a switching station. The configuration allows multiple sources of power to be brought into a single location to transfer power from one source to another. The improvement will lead to quicker outage response times and fewer customers affected if the power goes out.
Above: Versant crews rebuild transmission infrastructure in St. John Valley
In Aroostook County, crews rebuilt six miles of transmission infrastructure in St. John Valley. Rotted poles and structures built over sixty years ago were replaced with 130 new poles with excavators and special equipment. In 2024, workers rebuilt over ten miles of transmission line throughout Versant Power’s service territory.
In the Tremont area, about 2,000 customers will benefit from a new substation and equipment upgrades. Previously, no substation existed in Tremont, and the area was served from a Southwest Harbor line. That line now feeds into the new substation, where a new transformer will improve service for years to come.
Throughout the year, Versant Power also replaced 23 miles of bare wire with a covered wire that has an insulated coating. Covered wire works to prevent faults and outages when trees and branches contact the line. Blue Hill, Lincoln, Benedicta, Dedham, and Brooklin are just some of the towns that will benefit from these upgrades.
Versant helps keep the electrical system safe and reliable by maintaining 2,000 miles of line each year through the tree maintenance program. In 2024, the program was expanded to include secondary line trimming. Secondary lines feed from the road to homes and businesses and will now operate on a five-year cycle along with our primary line program.
"The Versant team completed a tremendous amount of work throughout the year to improve service for customers," said Versant President John Flynn. "We were also incredibly fortunate to receive a federal grant to enhance grid planning and operation. We look forward to continuing that work along with many other 2025 projects and will share our progress with customers along the way."
Additionally, Versant Power worked with distributed generation developers to safely connect their renewable projects to the grid. In 2024, Versant interconnected 600 rooftop solar arrays, which can be up to 25 kilowatts, 5 mid-sized projects that can be up to 2 megawatts and 65 larger projects that can be up to 4.99 megawatts. In total, that amounts to 218 megawatts of electricity. While Versant Power does not own these projects or any electricity generation, they are responsible for following statewide standards to interconnect them while maintaining safe and reliable service for all customers.
Versant Power crews work year-round to improve service reliability for customers. When you see crews working on the roadways, be sure to give them the space they need to work safely. For more Versant Power news, visit versantpower.com.
Above: Josh, a Versant Power System Technician, energizes a line at the Tremont substation
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Versant Power is committed to delivering safe, reliable electric service. As the state's second-largest electric utility, the company delivers electricity to more than 165,000 residential, commercial and industrial customers across 10,400 square miles in northern and eastern Maine.