NYSEG Files Plans for Industry Leading Non-Pipe Alternatives to Serve Natural Gas Customers, Among First of its Kind

Proposal Outlines Innovative Solutions to Address Reliability Concerns in Town of Lansing 
Demonstrates Company’s Support for State’s Energy and Environmental Goal

BINGHAMTON, N.Y. — October 22, 2020 — NYSEG announced today that the company filed a proposal with the New York State Public Service Commission to implement Non-Pipe Alternative (NPA) solutions in the Town of Lansing, New York that will improve reliability of the company’s natural gas system. The NPA solutions are substitutes for traditional gas capital projects, such as pipelines, that utilize alternative technologies to address natural gas system reliability needs. This petition is among one of the first of its kind in New York State to use a portfolio of innovative solutions that, when implemented together, will strengthen the reliability of service for the company’s gas customers in Lansing.
 
“This filing demonstrates our commitment to finding innovative solutions to traditional problems,” said Carl A. Taylor, President and CEO of NYSEG and RG&E. “The company worked hard to collaborate with many local stakeholders on a solution to the challenges faced and we’re proud to be able to lead this effort in Tompkins County. As a result, the safety and reliability of service for thousands of customers will be strengthened for years to come.”

The solutions recommended by the company were chosen through a competitive proposal process and were submitted to the Public Service Commission in August for approval. The recommended solutions include residential and non-residential heat pump installations, a community loop ground source heat pump project, the installation of gas energy efficiency solutions, industrial heat recovery, and a coordinated public education and outreach effort.
 
The innovative solutions in the proposal were included because they achieve the company’s goal of supporting reliable energy supply for gas customers without the installation of new natural gas pipelines. These solutions will reduce the amount of natural gas used by existing customers, utilizing beneficial electrification and other approaches to meet energy needs, and most efficiently meet the reliability needs of the customers in the area compared to other proposals submitted. This plan reduces the demand on traditional natural gas that customers use to heat their homes, water, and appliances by providing alternate energy sources to meet customer needs.
 
The solutions being recommended by NYSEG in the petition are designed to enhance the reliability of service for existing customers in the Lansing area, while also supporting the energy and environmental goals contained in the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA).

Currently, NYSEG serves 268,806 natural gas customers statewide and more than 2,300 in the Lansing area who will benefit from these innovative solutions. One of the projects included in this petition has already been completed, and the remaining projects are scheduled to begin in 2020 and be completed by 2025.

This Lansing NPA project is expected to help inform future NPA efforts within the company’s service area.
 
NYSEG is a subsidiary of AVANGRID Inc. (NYSE: AGR), a leading, sustainable energy company that operates in 24 U.S. states and serves more than 3.3 million customers in New York and New England.