CMP outage hits 11,788 customers across Sagadahoc County towns

Power went out for 11,788 Central Maine Power customers across Gardiner, West Gardiner, Dresden, Woolwich, Richmond, Bowdoinham, Litchfield, Pittston and nearby Sagadahoc County towns Saturday morning, cutting electricity to homes, small businesses and weekend errands at once.

CMP’s outage map listed the affected areas but did not post a cause or an estimated restoration time for the outage. That left residents guessing how long refrigerators, internet service, medical devices and storefront operations would be interrupted, especially in towns where travel already depends on local roads and bridge crossings through the Midcoast.

Central Maine Power says its outage information is built from smart meters, customer reports and field personnel, and its website says customers can view current outages and restoration statuses across its central and southern Maine service area. The utility says it serves an 11,000-square-mile territory, a scale that helps explain how a single problem can spread quickly across several towns in Sagadahoc County and beyond.

The weather forecast for the morning did not point to a major wind event. A National Weather Service Gray/Portland discussion issued at 6:35 a.m. said dense fog advisories were continuing until 8 a.m. and that some places, especially toward the Midcoast, could still face visibility restrictions into late morning. The Gray forecast later called for patchy fog overnight and mostly sunny weather, while the Penobscot Bay marine forecast showed light winds around 5 knots, becoming southerly in the afternoon.

That made the outage stand out as a reliability issue more than a storm story. Just nine days earlier, on June 18, strong gusts knocked down trees and power lines in Maine and cut service to thousands of customers. Saturday’s outage was narrower than that weather-driven event, but its reach across Gardiner, Woolwich, Bowdoinham and surrounding towns was enough to disrupt a busy morning for households trying to keep food cold and businesses trying to open on time.

CMP’s outage page says estimated restoration times may be available by location when information is known. On Saturday, the missing estimate was the detail Sagadahoc County residents and commuters needed most, because it determined whether the interruption would last minutes, hours or most of the day.