NYSEG Upgrades to Increase Reliability for Thousands of Customers in Erie County

Newly installed smart circuit devices will help provide quicker restoration times for customers

BUFFALO, NY — February 17, 2022 — New York State Electric & Gas (NYSEG) announced today it has completed the installation of two state-of-the-art Auto Grid Restoration (AGR) schemes in Erie County. The work at the company’s Losson Road and Cemetery Road substations included upgrading the distribution circuits, which feed power to customers’ homes and businesses. The two new AGR schemes will create a more reliable and resilient energy grid for more than 13,300 customers in the towns of Lancaster, Cheektowaga and West Seneca.

“This investment in technology and innovation will be a great benefit to the residents of Lancaster,” said Lancaster Town Supervisor, Ronald Ruffino, Sr. “I commend NYSEG for investing in its infrastructure to provide reliable service and limiting any disruption should an outage occur.”

To create the AGR schemes, NYSEG added new equipment to its circuits to help facilitate a faster response to outages. The upgrades include newly installed smart circuit devices that can be remotely controlled to isolate problems on the system, such as a tree contact on an overhead line, and temporarily switch which circuit is powering customers, resulting in quicker restoration times. Additionally, the devices provide NYSEG with real-time information about where and why an outage might be occurring, allowing the company to dispatch field crews directly to the problem location to make repairs.

“Electrical outages pose a serious risk to life and property,” said Cheektowaga Supervisor Diane Benczkowski. “I am comforted to know NYSEG has completed these state-of-the-art ARG schemes to ensure our residents will be provided an effective response should outages occur.”

NYSEG upgraded five circuits by installing 20 smart circuit devices to create the AGR scheme at the Losson Road substation in Cheektowaga, which also serves parts of West Seneca. The company upgraded three distribution circuits by installing 12 smart circuit devices to create the AGR scheme at the Cemetery Road substation in Lancaster.

“We’re excited to bring this impactful, cutting-edge technology to our customers in Cheektowaga, Lancaster and West Seneca,” said Eddie Mulholland, Director of Energy Control Centers at AVANGRID, NYSEG’s parent company. “The smart circuit devices on AGR schemes can significantly speed-up restoration times for our customers. In fact, these devices typically operate within minutes of a fault occurring to restore some customers immediately. Additionally, AGR schemes will help us decrease our carbon footprint. Since we receive location information from the smart devices, we can send our crews directly to the location of the fault instead of having them patrol the circuit for miles to locate the problem.”

These projects are some of the several local investments NYSEG is making to update and improve its systems using the latest technologies and materials. The company previously installed an AGR scheme in West Seneca and Silver Creek and is also currently expanding its Big Tree Road substation in Orchard Park. In 2022, NYSEG plans to begin upgrades to the New Gardenville substation in West Seneca. All projects focus on meeting the region’s growing energy demands and providing customers with reliable, high-quality power.

NYSEG is a subsidiary of AVANGRID, Inc.

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About NYSEG: New York State Electric & Gas Corporation (NYSEG) is a subsidiary of AVANGRID, Inc. Established in 1852, NYSEG operates approximately 35,000 miles of electric distribution lines and 4,500 miles of electric transmission lines across more than 40% of upstate New York. It also operates more than 8,150 miles of natural gas distribution pipelines and 20 miles of gas transmission pipelines. It serves approximately 894,000 electricity customers and 266,000 natural gas customers. For more information, visit nyseg.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 $39 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 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 Forbes and Just Capital as one of the 2021 JUST 100 companies - a list of America's best corporate citizens - and was ranked number one 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 2021 for the third consecutive year by the Ethisphere Institute. For more information, visit avangrid.com.

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