News Release
WMECo Receives 2012 Emergency Assistance Award
Springfield, Mass. (January 10, 2013) – WMECo is receiving national honors for its successful efforts to assist other utilities in the massive restoration following Superstorm Sandy. The Edison Electric Institute’s (EEI) Emergency Assistance Award was presented today to Northeast Utilities (NU),WMECo’s parent company, in recognition of the extraordinary work by WMECo and other NU crews to restore electric service to areas that had been disrupted by the devastating weather conditions.
WMECo crews systematically restored power to 52-thousand customers during and after Superstorm Sandy. They then packed-up and headed south to Connecticut, where a massive restoration was still in full swing. Shortly after Sandy, a nor’easter dealt a blow to storm-ravaged New Jersey and a WMECo contingent was back on the road to assist storm weary crews there.
“When power goes out, our borders come down,” said WMECo President Peter Clarke. “The formidable task of restoring power to hundreds of thousands of people was shouldered in part by our dedicated workforce, not for days but for weeks, as they continued to demonstrate the combined power of the Northeast Utilities family.”
Along with sending its own workers to hard-hit states, WMECo also joined fellow Northeast Utilities companies in sending a total of approximately 1,900 private line contractors who were previously assisting NU’s repair efforts throughout Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Connecticut.
The electric power industry’s Emergency Assistance Award has been presented each year to EEI member electric utility companies since 1998. The award recognizes extraordinary efforts undertaken in restoring electric service to the customers of another utility company that has been disrupted by severe weather conditions or other natural events.
Western Massachusetts Electric Company (WMECo), a Northeast Utilities company (NYSE:NU), transmits and delivers electricity to 210,000 customers in 59 cities and towns. For more information, please visit our website: