Avangrid, an energy company and member of the Iberdrola Group, has announced five projects in Ithaca, NY, totalling $41 million in new investment, to improve the capacity and reliability of the area’s electrical grid.
The investment in Ithaca’s grid infrastructure is supported by Avangrid’s effort to modernize New York’s electrical and gas infrastructure totalling over $500 million for 265 projects since the 2023 Reliable Energy Rate Plan. Avangrid will continue the venture with its $20 billion investment through 2030 to rebuild and strengthen critical infrastructure in all its service areas in the Northeast.
The projects in Ithaca will benefit more than 42,000 New York State Electric & Gas (NYSEG) customers in the region by adding additional capacity and reliability to the grid. Reliability improvements will strengthen the resilience of the system resulting in fewer and shorter duration outages.
Phase I of Ithaca’s investment will focus on current reliability needs in the region and is on schedule to be completed by the end of 2027. These projects include:
- $300,000 in upgrades to transformers at the Coddington substation
- $28.4 million for purchase and installation of two new transformers at the Fourth Street substation
- $4.2 million for purchase and installation of a capacity bank at the Trumansburg substation
- $3.3 million for purchase and installation of a capacity bank at the Cayuga Heights substation
- $4.9 million for purchase and installation of a capacity bank at the West Hill substation
Increased capacity will not only encourage growth in the region but also provide more energy to power additional homes and businesses. The projects will create more than 150 jobs in total.
The new and upgraded transformers included in the projects are crucial in the substation upgrades. They will make the stations more resilient to power outages. It also increases the energy capacity for future demand in the area.
Capacitors banks help ensure consistent energy into the grid to improve the reliability for customers in the area. This is done by stabilizing and maintaining voltage levels improving overall efficiency and performance of the power grid.
