Maine

Why is it like this in Maine?

Maine faces the same structural electricity-cost pressures as the rest of New England — pipeline constraints, aging infrastructure, high clean-energy procurement costs — pushing residential rates to about 29.6¢/kWh, among the highest in the country. With gasoline priced near the national average, Maine was one of the states where running a plug-in hybrid on gasoline was cheaper per mile than charging it — a structural result of high electricity costs relative to pre-conflict gas prices. The Iran conflict has temporarily reversed that: with gasoline now above $4/gal, electricity is currently the cheaper per-mile option. At pre-conflict baseline prices, the math favors gasoline.

In the news · Maine

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  Maine electric prices to hit highest level in three years

  Maine Public Radio · Nov 19, 2025

  Central Maine Power and Versant Power rates were approved to rise by roughly 2–3¢/kWh starting January 2026, driven by a 58% jump in wholesale natural gas prices — pushing Maine residential electricity toward 30¢/kWh and making gasoline the clear cheaper fuel per mile for most Maine PHEV drivers.

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  Maine's electricity prices grew at the 3rd fastest rate in the country

  Bangor Daily News · Apr 28, 2025

  From 2014 to 2024, Maine's residential electricity rates climbed from 12.65¢ to nearly 20¢/kWh — the third-fastest growth in the U.S. — driven by storm costs, natural gas exposure, and grid charges, making the structural case that electric-mode miles are increasingly expensive relative to gasoline in Maine.

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  Regulators approve Central Maine Power rate hike

  Bangor Daily News · Jun 13, 2025

  Maine's PUC approved a CMP distribution rate increase effective July 1, 2025, adding roughly $4.91/month to a typical household bill — one of several stacked rate actions that have made Maine's electricity cost among the highest in New England.

Curated coverage of Maine's EV/PHEV cost, policy, and infrastructure story. External links open in a new tab.

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