Avangrid companies net Emergency Response Award from Edison Electric Institute
For their assistance in Maine and New York during Winter Storm Elliot last December, the Avangrid companies Central Maine Power (CMP), New York State Electric & Gas (NYSEG), and Rochester Gas and Electric (RG&E) were honored with an Edison Electric Institute (EEI) Emergency Response Award this week.
Workers toiled for thousands of hours throughout the northeastern United States when the bomb cyclone slammed the region just a few days before Christmas. In some places, snow accumulations in upstate New York exceeded 51.5 inches, and wind gusts neared 70 mph along the Maine coastline. As a result, approximately 400 poles were broken, and transmission issues and outages spread.
During this scene, the companies restored power to more than 540,000 customers in days, even over the holiday.
“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,” EEI President and CEO Tom Kuhn said. “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.”
The Emergency Response Awards are doled out to EEI member companies twice a year to honor recovery and assistance efforts undertaken by electric companies during service disruptions from extreme weather or other natural events. Candidates are nominated through an international process.
“The comprehensive pre-planning and swift response before and during Winter Storm Elliott were integral to successfully managing the impacts of this event,” Patricia Nilsen, president and CEO of NYSEG and RG&E, said. “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.”
The three companies are a part of Avangrid Networks, which owns and operates eight electric and natural gas utilities covering more than 3.3 million customers throughout New York and the New England region.
