Central Maine Power has appointed a new President and CEO.
The company announced Wednesday it had appointed Joseph Purington to the position, who will take over the role at the end of September.
David Flanagan, the company’s Executive Chairman, says he will be taking on a senior advisory position.
Purington, who has worked with the company for 28 years in various roles, had most recently assumed the position of president of New Hampshire operations at Eversource New Hampshire in January 2020.
“I am eager to return to Maine as a proud CMP employee once more, and to lead the company as we strive to meet–and exceed–the needs of our customers every single day,” said Purington. “While I will be returning to familiar territory and many familiar coworkers, we face new challenges in helping Maine realize its clean energy future, and I can’t wait to get started.”
The move comes as CMP’s parent company, Avangrid, proceeds with the construction of a $1 billion transmission project that will deliver hydropower from Canada to the New England grid. It’s facing some major hurdles though, including a statewide ballot question in November that will ask voters if they approve of a law change that could put a stop to it.
A judge has also vacated the lease for the project, saying Governor Janet Mills did not have the authority to lease a stretch of land included in the corridor.
The company says it’s been taking steps to improve customer service in recent years, following renewed scrutiny over billing issues reported by customers when it switched to a new billing system in 2017.
