TUCSON, AZ – The Edison Electric Institute (EEI) today presented National Grid with the Emergency Assistance Award and Emergency Recovery Award for restoration efforts during hard-hitting storms in 2019. National Grid provided support during severe thunderstorms in New Jersey and Long Island in the summer months and after Hurricane Dorian impacted Florida in August. Then in October, National Grid provided exemplary recovery efforts after a high-wind event battered Massachusetts and Rhode Island, resulting in 283,252 outages.

 “Our customers rely on our ability to provide a remarkably fast emergency response,” said Chris Kelly, National Grid’s Chief Operating Officer – Electric. “As extreme weather becomes the norm, responding to these events safely and quickly will continue to be a priority both within our organization and across the industry. We go to great lengths to constantly improve our emergency response as part of our commitment to our customers and communities. We are proud to receive these awards from EEI that recognize the tireless restoration efforts of our employees.”

EEI honors member companies for assisting other electric companies’ power restoration efforts with the Emergency Assistance Award. The Emergency Recovery Award recognizes a company’s own extraordinary efforts to restore power to customers after service disruptions caused by severe weather conditions or other natural events. Following an international nomination process, a panel of judges selects the winners. National Grid received the awards during EEI’s Winter Board and Chief Executive Meetings in Tucson, Ariz. To date, National Grid has received nine EEI Emergency Assistance Awards and 14 Emergency Recovery Awards.

National Grid has improved their restoration efforts over the past decade by standing up an emergency planning team that works around the clock. The team focuses on forestry, staging crews, advanced analytics and reporting tools, and employing a classification index that anticipates restoration times based on storm types. The company is exploring artificial intelligence to assist with better damage and interruption predictions.

“National Grid’s dedication to restoring service safely and quickly to its customers, often in dangerous conditions, makes the company deserving of this award,” said EEI President Tom Kuhn. “Additionally, we are pleased to recognize National Grid’s continued commitment to mutual assistance. I applaud their efforts to aid neighboring electric companies in times of need.”

About EEI

EEI is the association that represents all U.S. investor-owned electric companies. Our members provide electricity for 220 million Americans and operate in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. As a whole, the electric power industry supports more than 7 million jobs in communities across the United States. In addition to our U.S. members, EEI has more than 60 international electric companies as International Members and hundreds of industry suppliers and related organizations as Associate Members.

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