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Eversource Attributes Investments In Power Grid To Less Outages

FAIRFIELD COUNTY, Conn. -- Power outages are happening less frequently and are resolved more quickly due to to significant investments in Connecticut’s electric grid, Eversource said

Connecticut electric customers are experiencing improved reliability along with shorter and more infrequent power outages, according to Eversource.

Connecticut electric customers are experiencing improved reliability along with shorter and more infrequent power outages, according to Eversource.

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This year, Eversource invested $750 million in improvements to its Connecticut system. 

“The reliability improvements we’re seeing clearly show our investments in the electric system are benefiting our customers,” said Ken Bowes, vice president of Connecticut engineering at Eversource. “We all remember the historic storms of the last several years – building a better, stronger, smarter grid will improve reliability for our customers no matter the weather.” 

Since the company's 2012 merger, the frequency of outages across Eversource’s service area has decreased by 18 percent and the amount of time it takes to restore power has decreased by 26 percent, a company press release said. These are the result of the company strengthening the electric system with the latest technology designed to make the grid smarter and more resilient, the release said. 

Year-round attention to reducing tree-related power outages also plays a critical role in the improved reliability Eversource customers are experiencing, the release said.

In 2015, the company installed 18 miles of thicker electric wire, 2,200 new utility poles and trimmed troublesome trees along more than 3,600 miles of power lines in Connecticut, the release said. Additionally, automatic line smart switch devices have been added to the system, which allow the company to reroute electricity around trouble spots, helping reduce the number of customers affected by an outage, the release said. 

The investments will continue next year with additional system upgrades, including tree trimming and grid strengthening projects, the release said.

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