AUGUSTA -- Sara Burns, president and chief executive officer of Central Maine Power Co., is more than willing to meet with any group to explain a major initiative that will ensure the state has a reliable power system.

Four decades after CMP's transmission system went into service, Maine's population has grown, doubling electric power demands and putting pressure on the transmission system, she said.

To fix the problem, CMP is embarking on a 10-year initiative to upgrade its bulk power transmission system, which includes 475 miles of 345,000-volt lines, plus substations and control facilities that link New Brunswick to New Hampshire and southern New England.

She said the general public needs to know all the facts behind the upgrade so they better understand the importance of the project.

"We're willing to go to any invitation to give a presentation, any Chamber or association or group," Burns said Wednesday. "We have a big enough team that we can even meet with three people."

Burns told the Kennebec Journal editorial board Wednesday that a 13-month assessment identified several areas of weak performance in the grid, mostly due to insufficient transmission lines.

"The studies said there's weaknesses in all the bubbles," she said pointing to a map with gray circles depicting areas of need. "If the 345,000-volt line that goes from Bangor to Augusta failed, what would happen? Most of Maine would go black. That's the type of analogy you do looking 10 years forward in the system study."

The Maine Power Reliability Program study identified 10 different possible transmission project solutions and selected the preferred one based on electrical performance, cost effectiveness and the impact to landowners and the environment, she said.

The solution, Burns said, is 485 miles of transmission line and related substation work at an estimated cost of $1 billion to $1.4 billion.

Convincing property owners along the transmission line corridor of the need for the upgrade will be the biggest challenge, she said.

The company currently is seeking to negotiate with public and private land owners to buy the necessary land or rights.

On occasion, landowners object to the prospect of selling their property or living so close to a higher-voltage power line.

"The challenges we anticipate are going to be very focused on the argument 'Not in my backyard,'" she said. "People against this need to understand the bigger picture, which is an interesting challenge for us. It's a very expensive project and people need to start understanding that CMP needs to invest in this.

"The lights will not stay on if we don't. It's really about reliability and keeping the lights on."

CMP will bring forth its proposal for the upgrade to the Public Utilities Commission for review and approval in July, and there will be a number of public reviews people can attend to ask questions.

Also, public hearings will occur in communities along the transmission line corridor.

For more information about the Maine Power Reliability Program log on to www.mainepower.com

Mechele Cooper -- 623-3811, Ext. 408

mcooper@centralmaine.com