JAY – Central Maine Power Co. plans to upgrade its bulk power transmission system through the town.

The work will be part of CMP’s proposed $1.4 billion to $1.5 billion transmission line upgrades intended to ensure long-term reliability throughout the state.

In all, the company expects to install 485 miles of new transmission lines or rebuilt lines.

Under the company’s plan to improve the system, the 115,000 volt transmission line that runs across Route 4 on Jay Hill will be rebuilt and a new 115,000 volt line will be added, said Larry Benoit, managing director of Bernstein Shur Government Solutions. The company works with CMP on the project.

Benoit gave an overview of CMP’s project to selectmen Monday night.

The project also calls for two vertical single pole structures to replace H-frames. The lines will run along CMP’s existing 150-foot right-of-way, he said. There was no land-takings needed in Jay as there were in some other towns, he said.

Benoit said that the project is in the permitting process and a permit application will be submitted to Jay.

Town Code Enforcement Officer Shiloh Ring said applications will be needed for the parts of the project that are covered under shoreland zoning and flood plain ordinances.

CMP’s Maine Power Reliability Program was created to study the future needs of Maine’s bulk power transmission system and develop solutions to ensure that the system continues to operate reliably.

CMP’s 345,000 volt transmission system was built in 1971. In early 2007, Benoit said, there were indications that the system was reaching capacity.

Transmission lines carry bulk electricity from generating plants to areas where a considerable amount of electricity is needed, according to the program’s Web site www.mainepower.com. From there, distribution lines carry electricity to where it is used. The interlocking system of power lines, typically 115,000 volts or higher, is commonly referred to as the bulk power system or grid. The bulk power system is comparable to the interstate highway system, providing a high-capacity and efficient path to move large amounts of electricity to consumers.

CMP and the Independent System Operator for New England have identified needs for the transmission system, which must be evaluated and addressed to ensure that this system can continue to serve the area well in the future.

A study was conducted based upon a 10-year load forecast to determine the effects on the transmission system and evaluate different cost-effective solutions to ensure system reliability over the next decade, Benoit said.

The reliability program study included a detailed assessment of Maine’s bulk power transmission system using computer modeling to analyze the 345,000 volt and 115,000 volt systems under many scenarios of operating conditions.

“It determined we would run out of capacity and experience outages and blackouts within the next decade” if the system is not upgraded, Benoit said.

The study indicated that major investments in the system are needed by the year 2012 to respond to the needs for electric power and to ensure a reliable supply of electricity, he said.

Among CMP’s plans to address the needs of the Maine system include installing new lines from Orrington to Cumberland and Gorham to Newington, N.H. It also includes new 115,000 volt lines from Windsor to Orrington, Lewiston to Rumford and from Windsor to Warren. There will also be new substations built and existing substation upgrades.