RG&E Completes Circuit Upgrades in Webster

Resiliency investments to bring enhanced reliability to more than 2,500 customers

ROCHESTER, NY — December 14, 2020 — RG&E announced today that it has recently completed circuit upgrades in Webster on Hatch Road, Ridge Road and Five Mile Line Road on the company’s 5240 circuit, which delivers power to customers’ homes and businesses. The project will bring enhanced reliability to 2,511 customers. It is part of the company’s Resiliency Program which proactively hardens the company’s systems to continue providing safe and reliable service to all customers. 

“Losing power at your home or business is a universally unpleasant experience. I applaud RG&E in their efforts to minimize that for the Webster community,” said Tom Flaherty, Webster Town Supervisor.

The primary goal of the project was to make the grid more reliable and decrease the number of customers impacted by outage-causing incidents. This was achieved by upgrading more than a mile of power lines to create a connection to adjacent circuits. This provides RG&E with an alternative power source to allow for quicker restoration times for customers when outages do occur. Additionally, the project upgraded equipment on the circuit by installing six SCADA switches. A SCADA switch gives RG&E increased information in real-time about why outages are occurring and enables an efficient and effective response.

“We take the responsibility of providing our customers with safe and reliable service very seriously and our customers rely on us,” said Andy Gumkowski, Manager of Resiliency Field Projects at RG&E. “This Webster circuit was identified for upgrades because it was experiencing more outages than was typical for the average circuit. These improvements will not only help provide more reliable service now and in the future, but also shorten outage duration if an incident occurs.”

The 5240 circuit project in Webster began in early September. It is one of the several local resiliency investments RG&E is making to reduce the number and duration of outages during extreme weather and to enable an efficient and effective response when outages do occur. The company is also working on similar upgrades on Klem Road in Webster that are expected to complete by the end of the year and recently completed resiliency upgrades in Greece on Latta Road, Island Cottage Road and Mount Read Blvd on its 5255 circuit. 

RG&E is a subsidiary of AVANGRID, Inc. 

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About RG&E: Rochester Gas and Electric Corporation (RG&E) is a subsidiary of AVANGRID, Inc. Established in 1848, RG&E operates approximately 8,800 miles of electric distribution lines and 1,100 miles of electric transmission lines. It also operates approximately 10,600 miles of natural gas distribution pipelines and 105 miles of gas transmission pipelines. It serves approximately 378,500 electricity customers and 313,000 natural gas customers in a nine-county region in New York surrounding the City of Rochester. For more information, visit rge.com . 

About AVANGRID: AVANGRID, Inc. (NYSE: AGR) is a leading, sustainable energy company with approximately $35 billion in assets and operations in 24 U.S. states. With headquarters in Orange, Connecticut, AVANGRID has two primary lines of business: Avangrid Networks and Avangrid Renewables. Avangrid Networks owns 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 6,600 people. AVANGRID supports the U.N.’s Sustainable Development Goals and was named among the World’s Most Ethical Companies in 2019 and 2020 by the Ethisphere Institute. For more information, visit avangrid.com. 

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