Press Releases
03/30/2016
AVANGRID Joins EPA’s Natural Gas STAR Methane Challenge
AVANGRID Joins EPA’s Natural Gas STAR Methane Challenge
Company is committed to reducing methane emissions
New Haven, Conn. (March 30, 2016) — AVANGRID, Inc. announced today that it has been named as a founding partner in the federal EPA’s “Natural Gas STAR Methane Challenge.” The voluntary challenge asks natural gas utilities to identify sources of natural gas or greenhouse gas emissions and implement strategies that reduce emissions beyond regulatory requirements.
The challenge is designed to result in a cleaner environment and a more efficient natural gas distribution system. Methane is the primary ingredient in natural gas and is a contributing factor to climate change.
“Reducing natural gas emissions is nothing new at AVANGRID,” said AVANGRID CEO James P. Torgerson. “We are in the community nearly every day replacing old cast iron and bare steel pipe with safe, durable plastic pipe. This challenge is a great way to improve on those efforts.”
AVANGRID’s natural gas operating companies - Southern Connecticut Natural Gas Company, Connecticut Natural Gas Corporation, Berkshire Gas Company, Rochester Gas & Electric, Maine Natural Gas and New York State Electric & Gas - will participate in the STAR Methane Challenge.
The companies will immediately begin gathering data on emissions, set a target and select one or more sources where emissions can be reduced. Sources could include main and service lines and other gas company infrastructure. Each spring, the companies will report back to the EPA and list the results of the mitigation efforts. The STAR Methane Challenge is a five-year program, but companies can take steps to meet their target earlier.
The STAR Methane Challenge is part of the EPA’s ongoing commitment to address methane emissions and global climate change. In January 2015, the EPA announced a new goal to cut methane emissions from the oil and natural gas sector by 40-45 percent from 2012 levels by 2025.
About AVANGRID
AVANGRID, Inc. (NYSE: AGR) is a diversified energy and utility company with $30 billion in assets and operations in 25 states. The company operates regulated utilities and electricity generation through two primary lines of business. Avangrid Networks includes eight electric and natural gas utilities, serving 3.1 million customers in New York and New England. Avangrid Renewables operates 6.3 gigawatts of electricity capacity, primarily through wind power, across the United States. AVANGRID employs 7,000 people. The company was formed by a merger between Iberdrola USA and UIL Holdings Corporation in 2015. IBERDROLA, S.A. (Madrid: IBE), a worldwide leader in the energy industry, owns 81.5% of AVANGRID. For more information, visit www.avangrid.com.
Media Contacts:
Michael A. West, Jr.
michael.west@avangrid.com
203-499-3858
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.
