PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • October 19, 2025
Most Maine homes receive their electricity supply through the state-run standard offer program. They’re likely to see an estimated 15% jump in rates in January. The supply rate hike would be separate from a controversial request by Central Maine Power to increase its distribution rates to upgrade its aging network of wires, poles and substations. That proposal has been met with strong opposition. Maine’s expected supply cost increase is tied largely to wholesale natural gas prices that are on track to keep rising in 2026. Prices are up in part because the United States is projected to double the volume of liquefied natural gas shipped overseas by 2030. LNG exports are part of President Donald Trump’s goal of unleashing a “Golden Era of American Energy Dominance.” But higher natural gas prices are bad for energy consumers in New England because half the region’s power is generated by plants that burn natural gas. The cost of gas in turn sets the marginal price for what other forms of generation are paid.