Protecting Maine’s Environment While Powering Our Communities
A Year in Review for Versant Power’s Environmental Team
Environmental stewardship is a critical part of delivering safe, reliable electricity across Maine. At Versant Power, that responsibility is led by an Environmental Team of three, bringing 50 years of combined experience to the work they do every day. From protecting wildlife to training employees and ensuring regulatory compliance, their efforts quietly support customers and communities across our service territory.
Proactive Planning, Training, and Prevention
Much of the Environmental Team’s impact happens before an issue ever arises. This year, they trained 415 Versant Power employees on proper spill prevention, reporting procedures, bird management, and environmental best practices. This training helps build a culture where environmental responsibility is shared across the company.
They also managed the safe disposal of 13,000 pieces of universal waste, including electronics such as laptops, cellphones, meters, lights, and batteries. These materials require special handling to ensure hazardous components are kept out of Maine’s land and waterways.
Behind the scenes, the team continually maintains the plans, inventories, inspections, and regulatory documentation that keep Versant Power compliant and prepared, ensuring the company is ready to respond to weather events, equipment upgrades, and daily operational needs.
Protecting Wildlife and Supporting Reliability
Versant Power’s service territory is home to many species, including the iconic osprey. Their nests, while beautiful, can pose risks to the birds and to system reliability when built on electrical equipment. This year, our Environmental Team, working in conjunction with our line crews, installed six new osprey platforms in communities like Machias and Lamoine, areas with the highest nesting activity.
By proactively placing platforms, the team helps prevent service interruptions while avoiding disturbance to the birds. Their expertise has also been recognized beyond Versant Power, with outside organizations reaching out for guidance on safe and effective osprey management.
Some of the osprey platforms that have been installed in Versant's service territory.
Managing Equipment and Materials Safely
Beyond daily operations, the Environmental Team coordinated several large-scale, high-impact projects, including:
- Removal of 27 signaling transformers from the legacy meter system
- Proper disposal of three substation transformers, some so large they required multiple tractor-trailers to transport safely
These complex, highly regulated activities require meticulous planning, coordination and oversight to protect workers, customers and the environment.
Substation transformers loaded onto trailers for proper disposal.
Responding When the Unexpected Happens
Even with strong maintenance and inspection programs, environmental incidents can occur as part of operating an electric system. Spills are sometimes unavoidable and can happen for a variety of reasons, including:
- Vehicle crashes
- Corrosion or aging equipment
- Equipment failures
- Falling trees or limbs
- Lightning strikes
- Vandalism
When incidents do occur, Versant Power’s Environmental Team responds quickly and works closely with the Maine Department of Environmental Protection to ensure safe, compliant cleanup. Thanks to increased inspections by our Power System Technical department, as well early detection, the team’s coordinated response efforts helped keep spill activity at its lowest level in seven years, reducing environmental impact and supporting reliable service for customers.
A Team with a Statewide Impact
The reach of Versant Power’s Environmental Team is felt across every part of our service territory. Their experience, preparation, and commitment protect Maine’s environment, support field crews, and help ensure customers receive the reliable service they expect.
This year’s work highlights an important truth: protecting the environment isn’t separate from powering our communities — it’s an essential part of how Versant Power does business, today and into the future.
Versant Power is committed to delivering safe, reliable electric service. As the state's second-largest electric utility, the company delivers electricity to more than 165,000 residential, commercial and industrial customers across 10,400 square miles in northern and eastern Maine.