FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 12, 2013

CONTACT:  Media Relations, 781-907-3980

NATIONAL GRID RESTORES RHODE ISLAND CUSTOMERS AFFECTED BY 2013 BLIZZARD

Any Customers Still Without Power Urged to Call National Grid at 1-800-465-1212

February 12, 2013 – Despite challenges such as huge snow banks, narrower-than-usual roads and limited access to some facilities, National Grid has restored power to nearly all customers affected by the blizzard that tore through the state Friday and Saturday.  As of 5 p.m., fewer than 150 of the more than 187,000 customers who lost service are without power.  Crews are actively working on each of the remaining outages, and the rest of the customers are expected to have power tonight.

If any customers are still without power, they are urged to call National Grid immediately at 1-800-465-1212. Sometimes when a street or neighborhood is restored, there may be a problem with an individual home or business that prevents it from being re-energized.

In the wake of its hurricane-force winds and as much as two feet of snow, the blizzard left more than 1,400 reports of wires down, broken poles and damage to the high-voltage back bone of the Rhode Island electric grid.  At the height of the storm, more than 187,000 customers were without power, with the southern part of the state and the East Bay taking the brunt of the storm.

Crews from 26 states and Canada worked alongside National Grid crews, often in difficult and frigid conditions, to bring light and heat back to customers.  Hundreds of additional personnel worked behind the scenes to support the field crews.

Before the storm and throughout the restoration process, National Grid kept in close contact with state and local officials to keep them informed of the status of repairs, and so the work progressed as quickly and safely as possible.  National Grid community liaisons were assigned to each community’s emergency operations center to serve as a dedicated link between the company and local leaders.

“We are grateful to all of the state and community officials who worked hand-in-hand with us to expedite the restoration. This is invaluable partnership enables us to do the best possible job for our customers,” said Tim Horan, president of National Grid, Rhode Island.  “We also appreciate our customers’ patience during this very challenging and difficult time.”

Horan urged customers to continue to be careful as they walk and drive around while municipal and other crews continue to remove snow and make repairs.  He also cautioned property owners who have natural gas service who remove snow from their roof to avoid dumping it on the gas meter to avoid damaging it and causing a gas leak.

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 US, 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.

For more information please visit our website: www.nationalgridus.com. 

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