Press Releases
06/21/2024
Avangrid Companies in New York and Maine Honored with Dual Emergency Response Awards
Avangrid Companies in New York and Maine Honored with Dual Emergency Response Awards
Awards recognize NYSEG and RG&E and CMP’s exemplary recovery efforts following extreme winter storms this past year
ORANGE, Conn. — June 21, 2024 — Avangrid, Inc. (NYSE: AGR), a leading sustainable energy company and a member of the Iberdrola Group, announced today that it has received dual Emergency Response Award from Edison Electric Institute (EEI). The awards honor the extraordinary performance of Avangrid companies New York State Electric & Gas (NYSEG) and Rochester Gas and Electric (RG&E) and Central Maine Power (CMP) during recovery and restoration efforts from winter storms this past year.
“At Avangrid, we take pride in being leaders in safe, efficient and coordinated efforts to restore power to our customers after extreme storms like the ones our service areas have experienced this past winter,” said Pedro Azagra, Avangrid CEO. “These awards are a symbol of our commitment to our customers, our communities and operational excellence. We do this critical work well because electricity is an essential service that our customers rely on.”
Presented to EEI member companies twice a year, the Emergency Response Awards recognize recovery and assistance efforts of electric companies following service disruptions caused by extreme weather or other natural events. Following an international nomination process, EEI announced the Avangrid companies as recipients during EEI 2024.
NYSEG and RG&E were honored for their response to Winter Storm Finn, which struck New York state in January 2024. Winter Storm Finn brought high winds to upstate New York, causing outages in the NYSEG’s Geneva, Auburn, Lancaster, Mechanicville, and Ithaca divisions, and snapping poles and bringing down trees in RG&E’s Central and Fillmore divisions as well.
“Our customers count on us to be first responders during New York’s sometimes wild weather, restoring power safely, effectively, and as quickly as possible,” said Trish Nilsen, president and CEO of NYSEG and RG&E. “Our commitment to our customers, our communities, and operational excellence are recognized by this award, but this critical work is a priority for us because electric and natural gas service is something they rely on.”
CMP was honored for its response to a strong wind and rainstorm on December 18, 2023. This extreme storm prompted CMP to mount the largest restoration effort in the company’s history after 400,000 of its customers lost power over the duration of this weather event. The company ultimately restored power on Christmas Eve.
“In Fairfield, Maine alone, thousands of trees fell, requiring what was essentially a street-by-street rebuild of the town’s electrical system,” said Joe Purington, CMP President and CEO. “In moments of crisis such as these storms, Mainers can count on us to be first responders and to restore power safely, effectively, and as quickly as possible.
About Avangrid: Avangrid, Inc. (NYSE: AGR) aspires to be the leading sustainable energy company in the United States. Headquartered in Orange, CT with approximately $44 billion in assets and operations in 24 U.S. states, Avangrid has two primary lines of business: networks and renewables. Through its networks business, Avangrid owns and operates eight electric and natural gas utilities, serving more than 3.3 million customers in New York and New England. Through its renewables business, Avangrid owns and operates a portfolio of renewable energy generation facilities across the United States. Avangrid employs approximately 8,000 people and has been recognized by JUST Capital in 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024 as one of the JUST 100 companies – a ranking of America’s best corporate citizens. In 2024, Avangrid ranked first among utilities and 12 overall. The company supports the U.N.’s Sustainable Development Goals and was named among the World’s Most Ethical Companies in 2024 for the sixth consecutive year by the Ethisphere Institute. Avangrid is a member of the group of companies controlled by Iberdrola, S.A. For more information, visit www.avangrid.com.
About Iberdrola: Iberdrola is one of the world's biggest energy companies and a leader in renewables, spearheading the energy transition to a low carbon economy. The group supplies energy to almost 100 million people in dozens of countries. With a focus on renewable energy, smart networks and smart solutions for customers, Iberdrola’s main markets include Europe (Spain, the United Kingdom, Portugal, France, Germany, Italy and Greece), the United States, Brazil, Mexico and Australia. The company is also present in growth markets such as Japan, Taiwan, Ireland, Sweden and Poland, among others.
With a workforce of nearly 40,000 and assets in excess of €141.7 billion, across the world, Iberdrola helps to support 400,000 jobs across its supply chain, with annual procurement of €12.2 billion. A benchmark in the fight against climate change, Iberdrola has invested more than €130 billion over the past two decades to help build a sustainable energy model, based on sound environmental, social and governance (ESG) principles.
