SODUS, N.Y.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Avangrid subsidiary, Rochester Gas and Electric (RG&E) today announced the completion of upgrades on a new substation in Sodus, New York that will increase reliability and capacity for more than 3,300 residential and commercial customers in Sodus and the surrounding area. The $23 million investment is part of Avangrid and RG&E’s more than $7 billion statewide secured investments through 2030, adding to its current rate base in New York of $8 billion, to modernize critical grid infrastructure projects to meet the growing energy demands of homes and businesses and protect the community against severe weather threats.

“With the need to upgrade and modernize our nation’s energy infrastructure, we are moving aggressively to invest in this critical energy need now,” said Pedro Azagra, CEO of Avangrid. “With these investments locally and statewide, we are delivering on our commitment to rebuild a strong, more reliable grid for our communities.”

“This substation modernization project and related improvements almost triple the capacity of the station for customers in the Sodus area,” said Ricardo Cortes, unit manager for RG&E Substation Projects. “This will improve reliability and resiliency of the area transmission and distribution system, ensuring that the safe and reliable distribution of power is maintained for many years to come.”

“This infrastructure investment by RG&E is critical to the future economic growth of Wayne County and our region,” said New York State Senator Pam Helming. “As New York State continues to mandate conversions to all-electric, these upgrades will help meet the area’s growing energy demands while also improving reliability and resiliency for existing customers.”

“I would like to applaud RG&E for taking the initiative to upgrade the Sodus substation,” said New York Assemblyman Brian Manktelow. “It is truly a great step forward in ensuring that it will be well-equipped to handle the growing demand from the 3,300 customers it serves. Local investments like this are what’s going to help the state meet our green energy goals.”

The original substation and switchgear control house at 10 Green Street had been in place since 1966. The new substation and control house was built at the corner of Green Street and Belden Avenue. A new, more efficient transformer replaced the outdated version. The new control house building contains state-of-the-art gas-insulated switch gear technology and an updated control system. These upgrades provide increased reliability with fewer outages.

“The Village of Sodus is happy to have had the opportunity to work with RG&E to help remove blighted property from our community and to improve our region’s massive infrastructure,” said Village of Sodus Mayor Dan Ingersoll. “RG&E has fulfilled the Village’s requests for a site plan that visually enhances the area.”

The cost of the project was $23.1 million, which includes the capability to convert the existing voltage from 4kV circuits to 12kV. This will help meet the community’s growing energy demands. The modernization allows the Company to remotely monitor and operate the substation 24/7, enhancing electric operations and energy delivery capability, reducing crew response time, and allowing for faster restoration during an outage.

This project, which is scheduled for completion in Spring 2025, is part of RG&E’s investments to address aging infrastructure and improve the overall resiliency of the energy grid, meeting today’s challenges to better prepare for those of tomorrow.

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 www.rge.com.

About Avangrid: Avangrid, Inc. aspires to be the leading sustainable energy company in the United States. Headquartered in Orange, CT with approximately $47 billion in assets and operations in 24 U.S. states, Avangrid has two primary lines of business: networks and renewables. Through its networks business, Avangrid owns and operates eight electric and natural gas utilities, serving more than 3.3 million customers in New York and New England. Through its renewables business, Avangrid owns and operates a portfolio of renewable energy generation facilities across the United States. Avangrid employs approximately 8,000 people and has been recognized by JUST Capital as one of the JUST 100 companies – a ranking of America’s best corporate citizens – in 2024 for the fourth consecutive year. In 2024, Avangrid ranked first among utilities and 12 overall. The company supports the U.N.’s Sustainable Development Goals and was named among the World’s Most Ethical Companies in 2024 for the sixth consecutive year by the Ethisphere Institute. Avangrid is a member of the group of companies controlled by Iberdrola, S.A. For more information, visit www.avangrid.com.

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