The United States is a country that loves capitalism, competition and the free market. The citizens of the state of Maine, in the northeast of the country, demonstrated this Tuesday by rejecting in a referendum the proposal to create a public electricity company, in practice nationalizing the assets of the two private companies that distribute 97% of the electricity. electricity in said state, one of them from the Spanish group Iberdrola.
The proposal consisted of dismantling Central Maine Power, owned by the American Avangrid, a subsidiary of Iberdrola, and Versant Power, of the Canadian group Enmax, and creating in their place a non-profit company called Pine Tree Power to manage the network. A similar proposal was already rejected by voters in 1973.
Voters have rejected the proposal by an overwhelming majority of 70% to 30%, with scrutiny almost completed. The companies were opposed to the proposal and so was the state governor, Democrat Janet Mills. The operation would have meant that the new public company would assume debt close to $14 billion.
The vote came amid intense criticism of Central Maine Power for its slow response to storm-induced power outages, failures to roll out the billing system and perceived obstacles to connecting renewable energy projects to the network, among other factors. None of that was enough to convince voters. Willy Ritch, executive director of the Maine Affordable Energy Coalition, which opposed the deal, said Maine voters “rejected billions of dollars of debt and rejected the risk and uncertainty that came with it,” according to statements reported by the AP. .
Avangrid has welcomed the result of the consultation. “Fifty years ago, in 1973, Maine voters resoundingly rejected a proposal to seize Maine’s electric grid and replace it with a political board (61% NO – 39% YES). “Maine voters have again rejected this risky proposal,” the company said in a statement. “Maine voters have spoken. The years-long debate over who is best suited to operate the network does nothing to advance the solutions needed now, and it is time to get back to work,” she adds.
“Next year Central Maine Power will mark 125 years since its founding, and its commitment to providing safe and reliable service remains unchanged. From responding to storms during Winter Storm Elliot, to exceeding customer service metrics three years in a row, to being voted one of the best places to work in Maine, CMP and Avangrid remain fully committed to their customers and employees,” concludes the company.
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