AUGUSTA
Nearly three weeks after a storm knocked out power to more than 470,000 Central Maine Power customers, the utility has announced its president and chief executive officer plans to retire at the end of the year.
According to a CMP press release issued Thursday, Sara Burns joined CMP in 1987 and, after serving in various executive positions, was named president in 1998 and CEO in 2005.
Burns will step down from her role of oversight for asset management and planning, business development and regulatory strategy for Avangrid Networks. She will join the Avangrid Networks board of directors in January 2018.
Rep. Seth Berry, D-Bowdoinham, House chairman of the Legislature’s Joint Standing Committee on Energy, Utilities and Technology, characterized the coming change as an opportunity.
“CMP is at a turning point in its relationship to the state of Maine, to its workers here and to its customers,” Berry said Thursday. “I think this is an opportune time for it to take stock of that relationship and consider prioritizing the needs of its customers and its workers a little bit more, and its international owners and investors a little bit less.”
Berry noted that the fee for CMP’s delivery of electricity has gone up by 80 percent in the last 10 years for customers.
“We need to take a good hard look at that at this time and hope that CMP, in considering their next CEO, will have these considerations in front of mind,” he said.
There are many policies the Legislature can adopt that will drive down the cost of energy over time, Berry said, particularly the delivery of energy, which is CMP’s job.
“Unfortunately, CMP has opposed most of these policies in the 10 years that I’ve been working with them and we’ve seen the result,” he said, pointing to the increase in delivery rates.
Berry said only regulators with the Maine Public Utilities Commission, which oversees the utility, limit the profits, as well as the laws set by policy makers the PUC interprets. He said a “cozy” relationship often develops between CMP representation and the PUC.
“It’s incumbent the Legislature review absolutely everything,” Berry said, “to ensure the interest of Maine homes and businesses always come first.”
He said there are existing consumer-owned electric utilities in Maine that have low delivery rates and fewer problems with outages than CMP. Berry argued these should be looked at as models for larger, investor-owned utilities; he also suggested B corporations, which place importance on social benefits in addition to investor profit, should be explored.
Berry expects several proposed energy policy bills will be forthcoming and has submitted a bill, “An Act to Protect Maine Residents and Businesses from Rising Electricity Costs.” He is still working out the details of his proposal.
The 128th second regular session only spans from January to April. Berry said not every issue will be addressed or even be thoroughly understood in that short period of time.
“There will be plenty of need for the next governor and Legislature to continue looking at these things and begin to bend the curve and slow down and finally reverse the accelerating rise of CMP delivery costs, because it’s out of control,” he said.
Avangrid’s has a succession planning process, and a search is underway for CMP’s new CEO “to ensure a smooth transition,” according to the press release.
“We thank Sara for her strong leadership of CMP. She is recognized as a civic leader in Maine and a respected professional throughout the energy industry,” said Bob Kump, CEO of Avangrid Networks, in a prepared statement. “We are pleased to have Sara join the board of directors of Avangrid Networks, where she will to continue to provide strategic guidance to our companies.”
dmoore@timesrecord.com
What’s next for Burns?
• SARA BURNS, who joined Central Maine Power in 1987, will step down from her role of oversight for asset management and planning, business development and regulatory strategy for Avangrid Networks. She will join the Avangrid Networks board of directors in January 2018.
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