Press release
Avangrid Boosts Resiliency and Reliability of Onshore Portfolio with First Mobile Transformer
Custom-built and ready to be deployed, this equipment can be installed quickly and will significantly decrease downtime in the event of a damaged transformer
Click here and here for images of the mobile transformer
PORTLAND, Ore. — May 21, 2024 — Avangrid, Inc. (NYSE: AGR), a leading sustainable energy company and member of the Iberdrola Group, today announced it acquired a state-of-the-art mobile transformer that can be quickly deployed and enables the company to resolve outages in the event of a damaged transformer in a couple months compared to the two-year lead time for a replacement transformer.
“We are thrilled to have this first mobile transformer, which is an exciting new addition to Avangrid’s toolkit and will improve the resiliency and reliability of our wind and solar operations across the United States,” said Pedro Azagra, Avangrid CEO. “When we reduce downtime at our renewable energy assets, we ensure that clean energy keeps flowing to our customers. New, innovative pieces of equipment like this are key to delivering on Avangrid’s mission to accelerate the clean energy transition.”
Utility-scale transformers are an essential piece of the electric grid and manage the flow of energy from generating facilities to the consumer. When these machines fail, power generation must stop and replacing them can take 18 months or longer.
The new 168 megavolt-ampere (MVA) mobile transformer, custom-made for Avangrid and purchased from Hitachi Energy, can be deployed and installed within a couple months to any of Avangrid’s onshore wind and solar facilities due to the transformer’s multi-voltage capabilities. The transformer’s unique technology also allows for a low profile and the ability to withstand higher-than-normal transport accelerations - perfect for quick transport to its needed location. This will bring energy production back online while replacement equipment is procured.
“The clean energy transition relies heavily on partnerships and collaboration. Working with Avangrid to design this innovative and versatile transformer solution ensures clean, reliable energy when and where it’s needed most, even if a transformer is damaged after a major storm,” said Steve McKinney, Senior VP and Head of Hitachi Energy’s Transformer Business, North America. “As part of this collaboration with Avangrid, this unique engineering solution also incorporates the skills of our expert services team to support installation and commissioning for fast relief and restoration, which is especially critical in an industry facing longer than usual lead times for new equipment.”
Consisting of three modules, the transformer will be hauled on trailers with semi-trucks to the site. One of the most versatile transformers of its kind, it shows Avangrid’s dedication to reliability by covering the needs of any of their onshore renewable energy facilities throughout the U.S.
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About Avangrid: Avangrid, Inc. is a leading U.S. energy company investing in grid infrastructure and power generation projects to deliver reliable energy and meet growing electricity demand. With approximately $50 billion in assets and operations across 25 states, Avangrid is helping modernize the U.S. electric grid, improve system resiliency, and support economic growth for the customers and communities it serves.
Avangrid owns and operates seven electric and natural gas utilities, serving more than 3.4 million customers in New York and New England. Avangrid also has nearly 100 energy generation facilities across the United States and more than 11 gigawatts of installed capacity. Avangrid has more than 8,300 employees and was named among the World's Most Ethical Companies in 2026 for the eighth consecutive year by the Ethisphere Institute. Avangrid is a member of the Iberdrola Group.
About Iberdrola: With a market capitalization of more than €140 billion, Iberdrola is the largest electricity company in Europe and one of the two largest in the world. The Group serves more than 100 million people around the world and has a workforce of 45,400 employees and assets of €165 billion. In 2025, Iberdrola posted a record net profit of €6.3 billion. The company contributes close to €10.4 billion in taxes in the countries where it operates and supports more than 500,000 jobs throughout its supply chain, thanks to €13.2 billion in purchases from tens of thousands of suppliers.
Since 2001, Iberdrola has invested more than €175 billion in electricity networks, renewable energy and energy storage to help create an energy model based on electrification. The company has close to 1.4 million km of electricity networks in the United States (the states of New York, Connecticut, Maine and Massachusetts), the United Kingdom (Scotland, England and Wales), Brazil (the states of Bahia, Rio Grande do Norte, Pernambuco, São Paulo and Mato Grosso do Sul, as well as Brasilia) and Spain, as well as 57,000 MW of capacity worldwide, of which more than 46,000 MW is renewable.
