ORANGE, Conn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Avangrid, Inc. (NYSE: AGR), a leading sustainable energy company and member of the Iberdrola Group, today announced it has received its fourteenth Edison Electric Institute (EEI) Emergency Response Award. The award honors the extraordinary performance of Avangrid companies Central Maine Power (CMP), New York State Electric & Gas (NYSEG), and Rochester Gas and Electric (RG&E) during recovery and restoration efforts from Winter Storm Elliot this past December.
“I am continually amazed by the depth of our team’s commitment to ensuring safe, reliable service,” said Avangrid CEO Pedro Azagra. “Despite 70-mile-per-hour wind gusts and whiteout conditions over Christmas weekend, our team across New York and Maine worked quickly to restore power to over 540,000 customers in a matter of days. The planning, preparation, and response to Winter Storm Elliott was a team effort, and all of us at Avangrid are immensely proud to receive EEI’s momentous Emergency Response Award in recognition of those efforts.”
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 a recipients during EEI’s summer Board of Directors and CEO meeting held in conjunction with EEI 2023.
“Ensuring the safety of our customers, communities, and crews is our industry’s top priority. Safety is especially critical during severe storms and extreme weather events, such as hurricanes, tornadoes, and winter storms,” said EEI President and CEO Tom Kuhn. “I commend Avangrid’s commitment to restoring service for its customers safely and efficiently under challenging conditions following Winter Storm Elliott. Avangrid and its storm response team are extremely deserving of this national recognition, and I am honored to present them with this well-earned recovery award.”
Winter Storm Elliott entered the northeastern United States on December 23, 2022 as a unique weather phenomenon known as a bomb cyclone, and the storm produced significant damage in upstate New York and Maine. On December 23-24, snow accumulations reached up to 51.5 inches in Buffalo, and wind gusts approached 70 miles per hour on the Maine coastline. Crews worked quickly to restore outages, resolve transmission issues and repair 400 broken poles, and company employees spent nearly 85,000 hours on restoration efforts, largely over the Christmas holiday.
“The thousands of hours that our lineworkers, customer service representatives, contractors and other team members invested in restoring power to our customers was a truly remarkable recovery effort,” said Joe Purington, President and CEO of CMP. “This award is a testament to the dedication of our entire team as they responded to the call of duty during Winter Storm Elliott, and I am pleased EEI chose to recognize and honor their hard work.”
“The comprehensive pre-planning and swift response before and during Winter Storm Elliott were integral to successfully managing the impacts of this event,” said Patricia Nilsen, President and CEO of NYSEG and RG&E. “As climate change drives increasingly intense and volatile storms, our team will continue to remain dedicated to delivering safe, reliable power, even in the midst of extreme weather events. This honor truly belongs to them.”
About Avangrid: Avangrid, Inc. (NYSE: AGR) aspires to be the leading sustainable energy company in the United States. Headquartered in Orange, CT with approximately $41 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 more than 7,500 people and has been recognized by JUST Capital in 2021, 2022 and 2023 as one of the JUST 100 companies – a ranking of America’s best corporate citizens. In 2023, Avangrid ranked first within the utility sector for its commitment to the environment. The company supports the U.N.’s Sustainable Development Goals and was named among the World’s Most Ethical Companies in 2023 for the fifth 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.
