Powering Maine’s Future With Water

Maine businesses look for three things when they grow: skilled workers, good roads and steady power. The electricity that lights factories and offices is the first on their list. Energy prices have jumped in recent years. A higher cost for a factory means more money spent on each product. A small shop sees slimmer profits. And companies that want to hire or build new plants pause when the future cost of power is unclear. Energy reliability guides these everyday choices. The state’s economy is changing fast. More cars run on electricity, new factories use high‑speed robots, and software companies need constant power for servers. All of these trends need a grid that can keep up. If the grid is weak, new opportunities disappear. Maine already has a strong base: almost 700 megawatts of hydropower spread over about fifty sites. These plants are built to last, often operating for 50, 75 or even a century. That longevity means prices stay flat and supply stays steady. Adding pumped‑storage hydropower turns water into a giant battery. It stores energy by pumping water uphill and releases it later, supplying hundreds or thousands of megawatts for hours. This smooths out peaks in demand, cuts price spikes and keeps big employers running when the grid is tight.A new pumped‑storage plan in western Maine would add about 500 megawatts. Projects like this prepare the grid for more growth and protect against future shortages. Keeping current plants running is vital. When a hydropower plant closes, its spot on the grid is usually filled with expensive alternatives. Those higher costs travel to businesses and households. But a slow federal licensing process is making it hard for plants to stay online. Maine could lose more capacity if action isn’t taken soon. Other rural states, such as Idaho, treat hydropower as key infrastructure. They keep large plants operating and use them to provide reliable service at low rates. Maine can follow this example. Senators Angus King and Susan Collins are asked to focus on simplifying the licensing process. Cutting red tape would keep existing plants running, improve reliability and give businesses confidence to invest. Senator King has already introduced bills that reduce permitting hurdles. Continued effort is needed. The lesson is simple: new power isn’t always the answer. Sometimes, the best way forward is to keep the most durable and proven resources working at full capacity for years to come.