SCG & CNG Continue to Expand Energy Choice in Connecticut

ORANGE, Conn. — Feb. 13, 2017 — Connecticut Natural Gas, a subsidiary of AVANGRID, Inc. (NYSE: AGR), today announced it has received local approval to significantly expand in the town of Hebron, continuing an ongoing push into central and eastern Connecticut.

The company expects this spring to start construction on an approximately 8-mile natural gas main that will serve the regional high school and middle school, two elementary schools and all of Hebron’s municipal buildings. It will make clean-burning natural gas an option for other customers along its route. Hebron voters overwhelmingly favored the project at a town meeting on Feb. 2.

The announcement follows a year of expansion for East Hartford-based CNG and its Orange-based sister company, Southern Connecticut Gas. The two AVANGRID companies also announced that they built 37.5 miles of new distribution main in 2016. Since 2014, they have added approximately 34,500 new commercial and residential natural gas customers, following through on a commitment to expand energy choice in Connecticut.

“Across Connecticut, more customers are enjoying the value and convenience of clean-burning natural gas,” said Anthony Marone III, president and CEO of AVANGRID subsidiary UIL Holdings Corporation, the parent company of SCG and CNG.

“We worked hard in 2016 to make this energy choice available to more customers and communities,” said Roddy Diotalevi, senior director of sales and external relations for UIL Holdings.

Hebron’s new gas main, expected to be complete this year, will extend from the gate station on East Street to Main Street and up Gilead Street. It will serve the Regional Hebron, Andover & Marlborough (RHAM) high school and middle school; Gilead and Hebron elementary schools; and all municipal buildings, including Town Hall, Douglas Library, and the fire department and senior center.

“This project will make natural gas heat a clean, affordable choice for many Hebron residents while helping to reduce the town’s overall energy costs,” Hebron Town Manager Andrew J. Tierney said. “We’re pleased to work with CNG to make Hebron a better place to live and do business.”

CNG and SCG have been expanding their service maps in the central and eastern areas of the state. In January, CNG “gassed up” a new 3.6-mile natural gas main in the Hartford suburb of Coventry, the fourth new Connecticut franchise for the AVANGRID companies in recent years. The company also plans to introduce natural gas service this year in Bolton, which borders Hebron to the north.

SCG added Essex and Deep River to its service territory in 2014 and 2015, respectively.

The companies also in 2016 continued their commitment to invest in a safe, modern natural gas infrastructure, replacing 37 miles of old cast iron gas main with pipes made from durable plastics that are easier to maintain and less prone to leakage over time.

“CNG and SCG, both of which have been operating in Connecticut for more than 150 years, have robust, ongoing programs to upgrade aging portions of their natural gas delivery system, so that we can continue to exceed customers’ expectations for safety and reliability,” Marone said.

#  #  #