RG&E Upgrading Circuit, Increasing Reliability in Mendon

Resiliency investments to bring enhanced reliability to approximately 1,150 customers

ROCHESTER, NY — April 29, 2021 — Rochester Gas and Electric (RG&E) announced today that it has recently begun circuit upgrades in the town of Mendon on the company’s 5258 circuit, which delivers power to customers’ homes and businesses. The project will upgrade more than three miles of power lines and bring enhanced reliability to approximately 1,150 customers. It is part of the company’s Resiliency Program which proactively enhances the company’s electric systems to provide improved safe and reliable service to all customers.
 
“RG&E is committed to continued investments to improve our systems and to ensure its resiliency against future storm events,” said Michele McDonald, Manager of Resiliency Field Projects at RG&E. “This segment of the circuit in Mendon was identified for upgrades after we evaluated its reliability metrics. These proactive upgrades will help provide more reliable service and help shorten outage duration if an incident occurs. With work currently underway, we expect to complete the project by October.”
 
The primary goals of the project are to make the grid more reliable and facilitate an effective and efficient response should outages occur. This will be achieved by upgrading equipment on the circuit, replacing poles that have an average age of 75 years and upgrading the circuit’s wire. The new poles will have a larger diameter, making them more resilient to wind damage, and the wire will be upgraded in strategic locations to tree wire, which is a heavy, insulated wire that’s more resilient to tree and branch impacts. The new equipment includes installing eight TripSaver reclosers, which helps to reduce duration of outages for customers from impacts like lightning strikes, incidental tree branch contacts or animal contact. The project will also install six SCADA switches, which gives RG&E the ability to remotely switch which circuit is powering a customers’ home or business to help provide quicker restoration times.

During construction, RG&E will also complete enhanced tree trimming along the power lines where appropriate. This work will include trimming from ground to sky and removing overhanging limbs to create a utility protection zone that provides clearance between the trees and RG&E’s infrastructure. This helps prevent vegetation from coming into contact with the power lines.
 
RG&E advises customers that temporary and minor traffic delay may occur during the project period. The company also asks that motorist use extra caution when near crews and work zones. Work will be taking place on the following roads: Mendon Center, Bull Sawmill, Pond, Rush Mendon, Mile Square, Smith, West Bloomfield, Victor Mendon and Pittsford Mendon.

“Our contractor crews will be seen working throughout the duration of this project,” said McDonald. “We thank our customers in advance for their attentiveness as they pass through work zones. This will allow crews to complete the upgrades safely and efficiently.” 

RG&E is a subsidiary of AVANGRID, Inc

#  #  #

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 $36 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.

Learn about the Iberdrola Group’s global pandemic response at its COVID-19 Hub.

Media Contacts:

Node: liferay-3:8080