Avangrid subsidiary, Rochester Gas and Electric (RG&E), has completed upgrades on a new substation in Sodus, New York, which 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.
“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.”
While the original substation and switchgear control house at 10 Green Street was in place since 1966, the new substation and control house was built at the corner of Green Street and Belden Avenue. A new transformer replaced the outdated version and the latest control house building includes gas-insulated switch gear technology as well as an updated control system. The upgrades will provide increased reliability with fewer outages.
The project also includes the capability to convert the existing voltage from 4 kV circuits to 12 kV to help meet the community’s growing energy demands. The modernization will allow the company to remotely monitor and operate the substation 24/7, enhance electric operations and energy delivery capability, reduce crew response time, and allow faster restoration during an outage. This project is scheduled for completion in Spring 2025.
“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.”
