Photo courtesy of NECEC
Members of IBEW 104 have been hard at work building out transmission lines throughout Maine. IBEW 104 Assistant Business Manager Tim Burgess said that the local has been extremely busy for the past three to four years thanks to investments in the New England Clean Energy Connect transmission project in Western Maine as well as collector lines for wind and solar projects. Funding from President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act as well as federal tax credits have helped finance wind, solar and grid upgrades Local 104 contractors are working on in Maine.
“In addition to line construction work, IBEW Local 104 has a long history of assisting the local utilities with power restoration efforts,” said Burgess. “This power restoration work has been steadily increasing within the last few years because of the increase in the frequency and intensity of storms both summer and winter.”
Local 104’s jurisdiction covers Maine as well as New Hampshire, Vermont, Rhode Island and Eastern Massachusetts. Burgess says the more work in Maine there is, the less his members have to travel out of state, spending nights away from home in hotels.
He said that Local 104 is currently recruiting new workers and IBEW 104’s Northeastern Apprenticeship and Training (NEAT) program accepts applications year-round on the first Monday of each month. The minimum requirements to apply are that applicants be at least 18 years old and hold a minimum of a Class B Commercial Driver’s License.
“There is always a need for new members, as the work seems to be increasing,” said Burgess. “We also have a steady stream of older workers looking forward to retiring and taking advantage of their well-earned and deserved retirement benefits.”