Press Releases
01/12/2022
AVANGRID Companies Recognized for Efforts to Support Power Restoration Following Hurricane Ida
AVANGRID Companies Recognized for Efforts to Support Power Restoration Following Hurricane Ida
Companies receive Edison Electric Institute Emergency Assistance Award
ORANGE, Conn. — January 12, 2022 — AVANGRID, Inc. (NYSE: AGR), a leading sustainable energy company, today announced that four of its subsidiaries have been named Edison Electric Institute (EEI) Emergency Response Award recipients. Central Maine Power (CMP), New York State Electric & Gas (NYSEG), Rochester Gas and Electric (RG&E) and United Illuminating (UI) have each received the EEI Emergency Assistance Award for their efforts supporting power restoration in Louisiana following Hurricane Ida this past September.
“We are proud of our employees for their commitment to our customers as well as to our neighbors near and far,” said Catherine Stempien, Avangrid Networks President and CEO. “Our team of more than 60 employees made the long journey to Louisiana and stayed there for nearly a month as they worked to repair damaged poles and wires following the destruction of Hurricane Ida. As utilities confront the challenges of more volatile storms, working together is critical to repairing damaged infrastructure quickly and safely.”
Presented to EEI member companies, the Emergency Response Awards recognize recovery and assistance efforts of electric companies following service disruptions caused by extreme weather or other natural events. The winners were chosen by a panel of judges following an international nomination process, and the awards were presented during EEI’s virtual winter Board of Directors meeting on January 11, 2022.
“This past year brought several significant storms and other extreme weather-related events that impacted many customers and communities across the nation,” said EEI President Tom Kuhn. “CMP, NYSEG, RG&E and UI crews traveled more than 1,000 miles to support the restoration efforts in Greater New Orleans. I applaud AVANGRID and its employees for their unwavering dedication to their own customers and to those they served, I am honored to present them with this well-deserved award.”
In August 2021, Hurricane Ida was one of the strongest storms to ever make landfall in Louisiana, second in damage and intensity only to Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Ida made landfall on August 29 near Port Fourchon, Louisiana, as a Category 4 with maximum sustained winds of 150 mph. An initial 895,000 customers in greater New Orleans and throughout Louisiana were without power. After a multiday road trip, CMP, NYSEG, RG&E and UI crews arrived in Louisiana to provide support where they were most needed. The crews worked 17-hour days in extreme heat, heavy rain and flooded conditions. The last of the crews returned home to their families on September 21.
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About AVANGRID: AVANGRID, Inc. (NYSE: AGR) aspires to be the leading sustainable energy company in the United States. Headquartered in Orange, CT with approximately $39 billion in assets and operations in 24 U.S. states, AVANGRID has two primary lines of business: Avangrid Networks and Avangrid Renewables. Avangrid Networks owns and operates eight electric and natural gas utilities, serving more than 3.3 million customers in New York and New England. Avangrid Renewables owns and operates a portfolio of renewable energy generation facilities across the United States. AVANGRID employs approximately 7,000 people and has been recognized by Forbes and Just Capital as one of the 2021 JUST 100 companies – a list of America’s best corporate citizens – and was ranked number one within the utility sector for its commitment to the environment and the communities it serves. The company supports the U.N.’s Sustainable Development Goals and was named among the World’s Most Ethical Companies in 2021 for the third consecutive year by the Ethisphere Institute. For more information, visit www.avangrid.com.
About EEI: EEI is the association that represents all U.S. investor-owned electric companies. Our members provide electricity for more than 220 million Americans, and operate in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. As a whole, the electric power industry supports more than 7 million jobs in communities across the United States. In addition to our U.S. members, EEI has more than 65 international electric companies, with operations in more than 90 countries, as International Members, and hundreds of industry suppliers and related organizations as Associate Members.
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.