LEWISTON

Brewery expansion will quadruple its capacity

A Maine brewery is planning an expansion that will quadruple its capacity over time.

Baxter Brewing Co. said Monday that production at its Leiwston brewery will grow from 8,000 barrels a year to more than 33,000 barrels by the time the expansion is complete.

Company founder and President Luke Livingston said demand has exceeded supply since his small, craft-beer brewery began distributing its beers in early 2011.

Livingston said the expansion will add 15 to 20 brewery jobs in the next 18 months, as well as construction jobs for the expansion.

AUGUSTA

Cost of heating oil increases 5 cents in new Maine survey

The cost of heating oil has grown 5 cents in the latest survey in Maine.

The Governor’s Energy Office said Monday that the average heating oil cost is $3.75 per gallon, which is 25 cents higher than this time last year.

Prices ranged from a high of $3.92 to a low of $3.60.

The survey said the average cost of kerosene was $4.19, up 5 cents; the average cost was $2.64, up 2 cents, for propane in quantities used for heating.

ALBANY, N.Y.

Central Maine Power warned of Spanish recession fallout

Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services is warning three U.S. utilities that economic problems in their parent company’s home country could endanger their credit ratings.

The rating agency will review Iberdrola’s rating for a downgrade because the company gets almost half its revenue from Spain, which is in recession. Iberdrola owns New York utilities Rochester Gas & Electric and New York State Electric and Gas as well as Central Maine Power.

Standard & Poor’s now rates Iberdrola BBB+, three notches above “junk” status. The ratings for its U.S. companies are capped at that level.

Iberdrola is to announce a strategic plan on Oct. 24 and Standard & Poor’s said it will revisit its ratings then.

— From news service reports