Electric Grid Upgrades for Maine Businesses
Access to a reliable energy supply is critical for businesses large and small all across Maine, but especially in rural parts of our state, and in our heritage industries that are at the heart of our economy.
For instance, farms use a lot of energy to operate machinery and prepare and irrigate and plant their fields, and sawmills use energy to convert logs into lumber and create other wood-based products. Seafood processors use energy to freeze their product.
Building a strong electric grid for businesses who need a significant supply of energy will strengthen those businesses and strengthen our economy, especially in rural Maine.
Hello, this is Governor Janet Mills and thank you for listening.
To ensure that our small businesses have the supply of energy they need to expand, earlier this week I announced that I am dedicating $6.5 million to electrical grid upgrades in rural Maine.
Using federal funding through my Maine Jobs and Recovery Plan, the Department of Economic and Community Development, the Governor’s Energy Office, and the Maine Technology Institute (MTI), will provide funds for electric grid upgrades for small businesses especially, with an emphasis on rural, energy-intensive industries, such as agricultural and food systems, seafood harvesting, forestry, manufacturing, and housing.
By upgrading their electric grid, businesses can count on a stable supply of energy despite any disruptions to the global energy supply, like the ones we saw this past year related to Russia’s war on Ukraine.
It is our hope that these grants will allow businesses to grow their operations, improve efficiency, expand their facilities, or increase their workforce, or all of the above.
Companies can learn more about their eligibility for this program by visiting MTI’s website at MaineTechnology.org.
That’s MaineTechnology.org.
This new grant program builds on other actions my Administration has taken to improve our energy supply and support people and businesses who are grappling with increased heating fuel and electricity prices.
For instance:
- In the last year, we returned more than half of the state’s budget surplus to Maine people through $850 inflation relief checks;
- We also successfully pressed for increased funding for Federal heating assistance programs to help Maine households with oil bills last winter;
- We opposed electricity rate increases sought by CMP and Versant;
- We secured a one-time bill credit of $90 for tens of thousands of low-income customers of CMP and Versant;
- We provided $800 in heating cost relief to nearly 13,000 low-income households to help pay for high energy costs;
- We provided up to $1,400 in tax relief for eligible low- and middle-income families and seniors;
- And we funded programs to increase energy efficiency in schools and public buildings through the Maine Jobs & Recovery Plan.
My Administration will continue to do all we can to help Maine businesses and Maine people deal with high energy prices and to build a stronger electric grid so we can generate more of the energy we need right here at home.
This is Governor Janet Mills and thank you for listening.