AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) Maine Gov. Janet Mills described allegations contained in a federal lawsuit against the parent company of Central Maine Power as “alarming and deeply troubling.”
In the lawsuit, Paulo Silva, a cybersecurity expert and CEO of Pennsylvania-based Security Limits Inc., alleges that Avangrid Networks engaged in bid-rigging, racketeering and buying unnecessary equipment.
Avangrid denied the allegations and described the plaintiff as a disgruntled ex-contractor. On Saturday, the company filed a defamation lawsuit against Silva and Security Limits Inc.
In part, Silva’s lawsuit alleges Avangrid Networks built warehouses to house unused equipment knowing that the costs could be recovered through higher electricity rates for Maine customers. The lawsuit was filed Monday in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.
The governor called on the Maine Public Utilities Commission to review the federal complaint and study Avangrid’s history of equipment purchases in Maine, and to make sure there’s no harm to ratepayers by the activities described in the lawsuit if proven to be true.
“Any act of wrongdoing or any misconduct that harms Maine people deserves swift action, accountability and consequences,” the Democrat said in a statement.
The lawsuit comes after permits were suspended for CMP’s $1 billion power line in western Maine and legislators seek to dismantle the privately owned company and replace it with a consumer-owned utility.
