<ARTICLE>                                           UT
<LEGEND>
This schedule  contains  summary  financial  information  extracted from Central
Maine Power Company's Consolidated  Statement of Earnings,  Consolidated Balance
Sheet and Consolidated  Statement of Cash Flows and is qualified in its entirety
by reference to such financial statements.
</LEGEND>
<MULTIPLIER>                                   1
<CURRENCY>                                     U.S. Dollars
       
                             
<PERIOD-TYPE>                                  3-MOS
<FISCAL-YEAR-END>                              DEC-31-1998
<PERIOD-START>                                 JAN-1-1998
<PERIOD-END>                                   MAR-31-1998
<EXCHANGE-RATE>                                1
<BOOK-VALUE>                                   Per-Book
<TOTAL-NET-UTILITY-PLANT>                      1,053,587
<OTHER-PROPERTY-AND-INVEST>                       78,339
<TOTAL-CURRENT-ASSETS>                           185,510
<TOTAL-DEFERRED-CHARGES>                         925,207
<OTHER-ASSETS>                                    17,169
<TOTAL-ASSETS>                                 2,259,812
<COMMON>                                         161,849
<CAPITAL-SURPLUS-PAID-IN>                        277,203
<RETAINED-EARNINGS>                               57,276
<TOTAL-COMMON-STOCKHOLDERS-EQ>                   496,328
<PREFERRED-MANDATORY>                             39,528
<PREFERRED>                                       65,571
<LONG-TERM-DEBT-NET>                             309,971
<SHORT-TERM-NOTES>                                     0
<LONG-TERM-NOTES-PAYABLE>                              0
<COMMERCIAL-PAPER-OBLIGATIONS>                         0
<LONG-TERM-DEBT-CURRENT-PORT>                    236,075
<PREFERRED-STOCK-CURRENT>                          7,000
<CAPITAL-LEASE-OBLIGATIONS>                       32,345
<LEASES-CURRENT>                                   1,738
<OTHER-ITEMS-CAPITAL-AND-LIAB>                 1,071,256
<TOT-CAPITALIZATION-AND-LIAB>                  2,259,812
<GROSS-OPERATING-REVENUE>                        934,554
<INCOME-TAX-EXPENSE>                               9,836
<OTHER-OPERATING-EXPENSES>                       864,016
<TOTAL-OPERATING-EXPENSES>                       873,852
<OPERATING-INCOME-LOSS>                           66,653
<OTHER-INCOME-NET>                                   899
<INCOME-BEFORE-INTEREST-EXPEN>                    67,552
<TOTAL-INTEREST-EXPENSE>                          51,862
<NET-INCOME>                                      15,690
<PREFERRED-STOCK-DIVIDENDS>                        7,898
<EARNINGS-AVAILABLE-FOR-COMM>                      7,792
<COMMON-STOCK-DIVIDENDS>                           7,305
<TOTAL-INTEREST-ON-BONDS>                          7,432
<CASH-FLOW-OPERATIONS>                            20,004
<EPS-PRIMARY>                                        .51
<EPS-DILUTED>                                        .51