National Grid Applauds Hurricane Sandy Rebuilding Task Force Report Urging Improved Storm Resiliency
Waltham, MA (PRWEB) August 20, 2013 -- National Grid applauds the findings of a report issued Monday by the Hurricane Sandy Rebuilding Task Force. The report stresses the need to better prepare for future storms in an age of climate change and rising sea levels, and calls for development of a more advanced electrical grid less likely to be crippled in a crisis.
“National Grid knows firsthand the increasing toll of extreme weather on the communities we serve, and this is why we support White House efforts to ensure the most vulnerable communities are better prepared for future events,” said Tom King, National Grid USA president. “We realize that we must make the services we provide more resilient in order to provide the service our customers and communities deserve. We also believe that increased collaboration between business and government will help strengthen resilience to extreme weather for our communities, our economy, and our infrastructure.”
In addition to calling for the creation of better planning tools and standards for communities rebuilding storm-damaged areas, the report advises that spending more now on protective measures could save money later.
King agreed adding, “Modernizing our gas and electric networks to make them resilient to extreme weather carries costs. But these investments will go a long way in protecting our communities from the far greater costs of frequent, extreme weather resulting from a changing climate.”
National Grid continues to strengthen its own resilience by assessing key vulnerabilities throughout its gas and electric system, flood-proofing critical equipment, prepositioning more repair equipment and fuel supplies, reducing the risk of downed power lines from fallen trees and limbs, and enhancing communications with customers and stakeholders.
The full report can be found here: http://portal.hud.gov/hudportal/documents/huddoc?id=HSRebuildingStrategy.pdf
About National Grid
National Grid (LSE: NG; NYSE:NGG) is an electricity and gas company that connects consumers to energy sources through its networks. The company is at the heart of one of the greatest challenges facing our society - to create new, sustainable energy solutions for the future and developing an energy system that underpins economic prosperity in the 21st century. National Grid holds a vital position at the center of the energy system and it ‘joins everything up.’
In the northeast U.S., we connect more than seven million gas and electric customers to vital energy sources, essential for our modern lifestyles. In Great Britain, we run the gas and electricity systems that our society is built on, delivering gas and electricity across the country.
National Grid delivers electricity to approximately 3.3 million customers in Massachusetts, New York and Rhode Island. It manages the electricity network on Long Island under an agreement with the Long Island Power Authority (LIPA), and owns over 4,000 megawatts of contracted electricity generation, providing power to over one million LIPA customers. It is the largest distributor of natural gas in northeastern U.S., serving approximately 3.4 million customers in New York, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island.
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Fred Kuebler, National Grid, http://www.nationalgrid.com, +1 781-907-2245, [email protected]
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