Frequency of ferocious storms, power outages on the rise in Maine [Video]

Rural Mainers are losing power more often and waiting longer to get it back than most Americans as the ferocity and the frequency of climate-driven extreme weather take their toll on the state’s aging electrical infrastructure.

The average Maine utility customer lost power for about 16 hours total in three separate outages in 2022, according to the most recent data published by the U.S. Energy Information Administration. The average duration of each outage was 5 ½ hours.

That’s the third-highest average interruption rate in the country, with Maine besting only Tennessee and Alaska, and the second-highest total time spent in the dark, with just West Virginia faring worse. It’s also well above the national average of 5 ½ hours across 1.4 outages, with an average duration of 4 hours.

Maine utility customers suffered a year-over-year increase in the total time spent in the dark, frequency of outages and average outage …