As part of our commitment to provide safe and reliable service to our customers, Rochester Gas and Electric (RG&E), an AVANGRID company, is making a significant investment to upgrade the electricity transmission system in the Rochester region. The project, known as the Rochester Area Reliability Project (RARP), sprawls about 27.6 miles across western New York through the towns of Chili, Gates and Henrietta, as well as the City of Rochester.

The RARP will provide additional access to the neighboring 345-kV transmission system run by the New York Power Authority. This much needed upgrade will provide additional power to support growing residential and commercial demand, as well as increase reliability and accommodate economic development in the Greater Rochester region.

While the new transmission lines and substation were designed and routed along existing utility and transmission corridors, crossing certain ecological resources during the project was unavoidable.

So how did we build the transmission line while maintaining the integrity of the ecosystem?

Simple. We built a wetland.

RG&E, along with our parent company AVANGRID, purchased more than 38 acres of land on Ballantyne Road in the Town of Chili to create a new 12.6 acre free-standing and fully functional wetland. This allowed us to achieve a one-and-a-half acre to one replacement rate. A former sports park, the land was ideal due to its hydrology and close proximity to the project. It also has similar environmental characteristics as the impacted wetlands.

As a result of the $1.3 million project, the company successfully excavated more than 56,000 cubic yards of fill and planted more than 440 trees. To ensure the survivability of plantings and habitat, RG&E will monitor the site for up to 10 years.

 Because of this attention to detail, the wetland is a living, breathing ecosystem and after a year the plantings and the wetland grass are thriving. The area is now home to geese and ducks as well as frogs, turtles and deer.

The Ballantyne Road wetland is just one more example of AVANGRID’s commitment to owning environmental stewardship and responsibility to do our part to protect the world we live in.

As one of the cleanest U.S. utilities and a leader in renewable energy, AVANGRID stands at the forefront of the nation’s transformational change in how we generate and use energy.  Our approach is built on three core principles: to be a model of sustainability both locally and globally, to foster a collaborative work environment that amplifies values and commonality, and to embrace agility that drives innovation through efficiency and passion.

For additional information on the Rochester Area Reliability Project, you can watch a short video on what the company is doing to meet the growing demands in the region.