United Illuminating Sends Crews to Canada to Assist in Storm Recovery
At its peak, Hurricane Fiona left more than half a million Canadians without power.
ORANGE, Conn. – September 26, 2022 – The United Illuminating Company (UI), a subsidiary of AVANGRID (NYSE: AGR), today announced that the company had sent crews and additional personnel departed for Canada on Sunday to provide aid to crews in the Maritimes in the wake of Hurricane Fiona. The request for help was made by Nova Scotia Power through the North Atlantic Mutual Aid Group. 15 UI crews, along with additional support personnel and equipment, are heading north to help restore service for hundreds of thousands of customers without power.
"The swift action UI workers took to assist those in Nova Scotia is a testament to our continued commitment to ensuring we all have safe, reliable service even in times of crisis," said Frank Reynolds, President & CEO of UI. "This was an historic storm that battered Canada’s Atlantic Coast. Thank you to our UI crews that continuously demonstrate their commitment to serving customers, both near and far. I am proud of the work we continue to do both at home and across the region to ensure all our communities are safe after a major weather event."
Hurricane Fiona caused extensive damage to trees and infrastructure. The Canadian Hurricane Center says Fiona had the lowest pressure ever recorded for a storm making landfall in eastern Nova Scotia. Nova Scotia Power reported more than 80% of its customers are without power and widespread outages are also reported on Prince Edward Island and in New Brunswick.
Other UI crews will cover the shifts of those in Canada to ensure operational readiness is not affected in Connecticut. As per the agreement of the North Atlantic Mutual Aid Group, Nova Scotia Power will incur all the costs of restoration efforts until they are complete.
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About UI: The United Illuminating Company (UI) is a subsidiary of AVANGRID, Inc. Established in 1899, UI operates approximately 3,600 miles of electric distribution lines and 138 miles of transmission lines. It serves approximately 341,000 customers in the greater New Haven and Bridgeport areas of Connecticut. UI received the Edison Electric Institute’s Emergency Recovery Award in 2019 and 2021. For more information, visit uinet.com.
About AVANGRID: AVANGRID, Inc. (NYSE: AGR) aspires to be the leading sustainable energy company in the United States. Headquartered in Orange, CT with approximately $40 billion in assets and operations in 24 U.S. states, AVANGRID has two primary lines of business: Avangrid Networks and Avangrid Renewables. Avangrid Networks owns and operates 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 7,000 people and has been recognized by JUST Capital in 2021 and 2022 as one of the JUST 100 companies – a ranking of America’s best corporate citizens. In 2022, AVANGRID ranked second within the utility sector for its commitment to the environment and the communities it serves. The company supports the U.N.’s Sustainable Development Goals and was named among the World’s Most Ethical Companies in 2022 for the fourth consecutive year by the Ethisphere Institute. For more information, visit avangrid.com.
Media Contact:
Gage Frank
Gage.Frank@avangrid.com
203.506.3904