News
2025-01-20 13:21:00.0 - 2025-01-20 13:21:00.0 UTC +01:00Edison Electric Institute highlights the performance of Iberdrola crews in extreme storms in the United States
- The institution recognises two of the company's distributors for their recovery and supply restoration work following 2024’s weather events
- The company deployed 1,300 workers following Tropical Storm Debby and more than 1,100 workers after heavy snow and frost in April on the East Coast
Iberdrola, through Avangrid, its subsidiary in the United States, has been recognised internationally for its response to the emergencies due to the extreme storms that occurred on the East Coast in 2024. The Edison Electric Institute highlighted the rapid and immediate work of two of the company's distributors in the country, New York State Electric & Gas (NYSEG) and Central Maine Power (CMP), to restore electricity service after Tropical Storm Debby in August and heavy snowfall in Maine in April.
During Tropical Storm Debby, which brought high wind gusts, flooding rains to much of the East Coast, and even tornadoes between 5 and 9 August, the company deployed more than 1,300 workers to restore service to the more than 100,000 customers left without power.
Meanwhile, the heavy snow and frost that hit Maine on 4 April 2024 left more than 270,000 customers without power across the state. Snow loads on trees along with high winds were the main causes of damage. More than 1,100 crews were involved in the major restoration effort that included damage assessments, tree felling and repairs to electrical infrastructure.
Emergency response
Iberdrola's main priority in any storm, with its customers and with the communities in which it operates, is to restore the power as quickly as possible. In Spain, Iberdrola recently stood out for its work in the aftermath of the cold drop in the southeast of the country.
With more than 180,000 people left without power, the company mobilised more than 500 workers in the affected areas of Valencia, 200 of them the first day. The company's rapid action and response with all the resources at its disposal, including the installation of more than 120 generators, made it possible to recover approximately 90% of the affected electricity supply in just 48 hours, and in just over 72 hours all residents had the lights back on.
The company announced this week that it will invest €100 M to redesign the Valencian distribution grid with the il.lumina project, which will benefit more than 650,000 customers. More than 1,000 workers from contracting companies, coordinated by an internal team of 35 people, will be responsible for building an even more robust, automated, digitalised and resilient grid, prepared for possible extreme events that may occur in the future.
You can read the full story in Avangrid's News Room.