HALLOWELL — The Maine Public Utilities Commission has named Romayn Richards to the newly created position of interconnection ombudsman.

Richards will assist customers seeking interconnection of renewable energy projects by facilitating the efficient and fair resolution of disputes between customers seeking to interconnect and investor-owned transmission and distribution utilities.

He will also review interconnection policies to identify opportunities for reducing disputes, convene stakeholder meetings to facilitate effective communication and track interconnection-related concerns.

Richards has been with the commission since 2022 as a utility analyst in the Electric and Gas Division. Prior to that he worked as a distribution planning engineer at Central Maine Power Company. He also held roles as a reliability engineer throughout Maine’s shipbuilding and pulp and paper industries.