Press Releases
01/11/2023
AVANGRID Honored For Response To Hurricane Fiona
AVANGRID Honored For Response To Hurricane Fiona
Company with its Multi-State Utility Resources Awarded by Edison Electric Institute for 13th time
ORANGE, Conn. — January 11, 2023 — AVANGRID, Inc. (NYSE: AGR), a leading sustainable energy company and member of the Iberdrola Group, today announced that it received an award from the Edison Electric Institute (EEI) for its efforts in using its multi-state utility resources to respond to the impacts of Hurricane Fiona in Nova Scotia, Canada in September 2022. United Illuminating (UI) and Central Maine Power (CMP) received the EEI Emergency Assistance Award for its mutual aid efforts to support power restoration in Nova Scotia following hurricane damage that caused billions in damage to Canada’s shoreline and leaving hundreds of thousands without power. This award marks the 13th time EEI has recognized AVANGRID for its storm response efforts.
“I’m continually amazed by our team’s readiness and commitment to ensuring everyone has safe, reliable service – no matter if it is our customers or if it’s lending a hand to neighbors in need,” said AVANGRID CEO Pedro Azagra. “It is an honor to receive this recognition from EEI, and it is a testament to the hard work of our AVANGRID line workers. This was a team effort, while crews traveled to Canada, other members stepped up to cover their shifts at home. We are following the lead of the Iberdrola Group, who have always emphasized the importance of working together to bring energy to millions of people around the globe.”
EEI presented AVANGRID’s Emergency Response Award to Azagra today at its January board meeting. The award recognizes 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.
“Throughout the past six months, electric companies faced devastating hurricanes, unprecedented heat waves, and many other extreme weather events that impacted the customers and communities we serve,” said EEI President Tom Kuhn. “Mutual assistance is a hallmark of our industry, and I applaud AVANGRID’s sustained commitment to aiding neighboring electric companies in times of need. AVANGRID and its storm response teams undoubtedly are deserving of this national recognition, and I am honored to present them with these well-deserved awards.”
In September 2022, Hurricane Fiona made landfall in Nova Scotia as one of the strongest storms on record in the province, and the first major Atlantic hurricane of the 2022 storm season. Fiona was a Category 4 Hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 130 mph (215 km/h). An initial peak of 405,000 Nova Scotia Power electric customers lost power, with nearly 750,000 more experiencing service interruptions. The community experienced over $5B in damage – five times the damage caused by Hurricane Dorian which landed in Nova Scotia in 2019.
Nova Scotia Power issued a request for assistance through the North Atlantic Mutual Aid Group. Fifteen UI crews, 16 two-person CMP crews, along with additional support personnel and equipment, responded to the call and traveled north to help restore service for hundreds of thousands of customers without power. Per the agreement of the North Atlantic Mutual Aid Group, Nova Scotia Power incurred all the costs of restoration efforts. UI and CMP crews worked for over two weeks to return service to customers, sacrificing time with the families to assist those in need.
“The swift action UI workers took to assist those in Nova Scotia is a testament to the commitment of our company and employees to always answer the call to service and lend our skill and expertise to those in need of assistance, whether near or far,” said UI President and CEO Frank Reynolds. “This award represents the commitment to excellence our line workers demonstrate every day, and I thank EEI for recognizing their efforts to respond to the impacts of Hurricane Fiona.”
“This award belongs to the hardworking men and women of CMP,” added CMP President and CEO Joe Purington. “Our line workers are some of the best the industry has to offer, and the actions they took to assist our Canadian neighbors is an example of their unwavering commitment to our trade. I’m pleased that EEI is recognizing their hard work in response to the precedented destruction brought by Hurricane Fiona.”
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.
