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Maine residents are dealing with high electricity prices, which were driven by the increasing price of natural gas during January’s deep freeze. Photo by Erin Rhoda.

Maine leaders pitch solutions to enhance grid as temperatures drop and electricity prices soar

In the wake of a lengthy cold snap that caused natural gas prices to spike to their highest level ever across New England, Maine policymakers met this past week to dissect the resulting rise in electricity costs and broach potential solutions.

On Jan. 27, Massachusetts saw the highest natural gas price ever recorded since grid operator ISO-New England updated its pricing database in 2003, according to energy news outlet RTO Insider.

The impact on wholesale electricity prices was stark. That day prices on the New England grid soared to $441.8/MWh by one metric, compared with an average of $135.08/MWh in January 2025.

Cold snaps like those that recently gripped Maine cause natural gas prices to skyrocket and electricity prices along with them, said Philip Bartlett II, chairman of the Maine Public Utilities Commission. 

That’s because natural gas accounted for 55 percent of total electricity generation on the New England grid in 2025, according to ISO-New England, and is turned to when electricity demand is at its highest.

“The biggest challenge we're facing right now is affordability,” Bartlett said at a Feb. 5 legislative forum hosted by nonprofit E2Tech in Augusta. “We're seeing upward pressure on every component of the bill.”

Julia Tilton, a freelance journalist who also writes for this newsletter, co-authored a vivid Daily Yonder feature on the modern challenges facing the Hudson River Valley and the lingering wounds left by its industrial past.

Julia canoed great stretches of the river and spoke with residents on its banks, and her writing makes you feel like you’re right along there with her.

While The Maine Monitor does not place its content behind paywalls, some newsrooms we link to in this newsletter may. 

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Company files complaint about Brunswick airport fire suppression systems | Times Record

Wyman’s wants to sell some of its Maine blueberry fields. Why? | Portland Press Herald

Excess salt use threatens aquatic ecosystems in South Portland, officials warn | News Center Maine

Wild Blueberry Commission of Maine announces $1.3 million grant for eligible producers | WGME

Have feedback, a correction or know of something we should look into? Send it to our newsroom. You can also email The Monitor's editors: editors@themainemonitor.org.  

The Maine Monitor is a publication of the Maine Center for Public Interest Reporting, an independent and nonpartisan nonprofit news organization that produces investigative journalism. We believe news is a public good and keep our news free to access. We have no paywall and do not charge for our newsletters. If you value the reporting we do for Maine, please consider making a donation! We cannot do this reporting without your support.

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