AUGUSTA — Homes and businesses on Islesboro will have more reliable electric service, now that Central Maine Power, a subsidiary of AVANGRID (NYSE: AGR), has energized a new undersea cable to serve the Penobscot Bay island community.

The new cable runs for about 15,000 feet from Northport on the mainland to the western shore of the island. It replaces the original 1955 cable to the island, and will serve as a redundant feed to another cable installed in 1992.

"We are happy to have this new cable in place, as it adds reliability and flexibility to the electric service on the island," says Sarah Mazurek, manager of Regional Operations at CMP's Rockland and Belfast Service Centers in a news release. "This is all part of our mission to provide homes and businesses on Islesboro with the best possible service."

The $2.5 million cable replacement project included additional work at both ends of the new line. CMP installed new poles and switches and performed other upgrades on both the mainland and the island. These improvements will allow crews to isolate faults should they occur and operate the system more reliably.

The cable installation includes a fiber optic line that will support a community effort to improve Internet service on the island. The Town of Islesboro has been seeking proposals to build a broadband network to serve island residents and businesses.

The project required coordination with several stakeholders, according to Mazurek.

"We worked with a broad range of stakeholders — including the Army Corps of Engineers, the National Marine Fisheries Service, Maine Native American Tribes, the Maine Historic Preservation Commission, Islesboro Town officials, and property owners — to complete this project," she said. "We were able to do the work within a very tight schedule while minimizing any impact on marine life in the bay."