Avangrid Deploys UI Crews to Pennsylvania to Assist with Storm Response and Restoration
Line crews respond to calls for mutual assistance to help restore power for more than 400,000 customers in western Pennsylvania following destructive thunderstorms, 80+ mph wind gusts
For additional images of UI’s departure, please click HERE
ORANGE, Conn.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Today, Avangrid, Inc., a leading energy company and member of the Iberdrola Group, responded to a call for mutual assistance in western Pennsylvania by sending crews from its Connecticut subsidiary, United Illuminating (UI), in the wake of severe storms that swept the region on Tuesday evening, April 29. In total, 30 lineworkers, four managers, and two support personnel will arrive in Pennsylvania this evening to help restore hundreds of thousands of outages in partnership with the region’s utility company, West Penn Power (a subsidiary of FirstEnergy Corp.), and other out-of-state crews responding to their request for mutual assistance.
“As all of us at Avangrid know, the lineworkers and other front-line workers at UI are some of the best in the business,” said Pedro Azagra, CEO of Avangrid. “When severe storms impact other utilities’ customers in neighboring states, while leaving our own customers unscathed, we are quick to jump into action to help restore outages as quickly and safely as possible. I am deeply grateful to our team as they travel many hours away from home to lend a hand in western Pennsylvania, and I thank each and every one of them for responding to these urgent requests for assistance with both generosity and enthusiasm.”
On Tuesday, a line of strong thunderstorms that stretched from Texas to New York had particularly severe impact on western Pennsylvania, where wind gusts of more than 80 miles per hour were reported. Hundreds of downed trees led to hazardous road conditions, and at least three people have reportedly been killed, two of whom were electrocuted by downed power lines. At the peak of outages, more than 500,000 customers across the greater Pittsburgh region and other areas of western Pennsylvania were without power. West Penn Power and other electric utilities in the region expect the restoration efforts to continue for several days.
For more information on restoration efforts in western Pennsylvania, please visit FirstEnergy Storm Center PA.
About Avangrid: Avangrid, Inc. is a leading energy company in the United States working to meet the growing demand for energy for homes and businesses across the nation through service, innovation, and continued investments by expanding grid infrastructure and energy generation projects. Avangrid has offices in Connecticut, New York, Massachusetts, Maine, and Oregon, including operations in 23 states with approximately $48 billion in assets, and has two primary lines of business: networks and power. Through its networks business, Avangrid owns and operates eight electric and natural gas utilities, serving more than 3.4 million customers in New York and New England. Through its power generation business, Avangrid owns and operates more than 75 energy generation facilities across the United States producing 10.5 GW of power for over 3.1 million customers. 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 2025 for the fifth consecutive year. The company was named among the World’s Most Ethical Companies in 2025 for the seventh consecutive year by the Ethisphere Institute. Avangrid is a member of the group of companies controlled by Iberdrola, S.A. For more information, visit http://www.avangrid.com.
Contacts
Media:
Florencia Feleder
florencia.feleder@avangrid.com
838-292-6869
