Avangrid’s Innovative Condor Conservation Plan Contributes to Rearing of 12 California Condors
01 Mayo 2024 - 2:04PM
Business Wire
Precedent-setting plan approved in 2021 by U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) helped fund recovery efforts at
the Oregon Zoo for the endangered California condor
Avangrid funding resulted in 10 condors reared
to a releasable age so far, with two more expected in Fall of
2024
Avangrid, Inc. (NYSE: AGR), a leading sustainable energy company
and member of the Iberdrola Group, today announced that it has
successfully met and exceeded conditions under a precedent-setting
California condor conservation plan developed for the company’s
Manzana Wind Power Project in Kern County, California. The company
will have doubled its commitment to condor recovery by supporting
the rearing of 12 California condors at the Oregon Zoo.
“I am heartened to see this news coming from Oregon and
California, which demonstrates Avangrid’s commitment to responsibly
accelerating a clean energy transition,” said Pedro Azagra,
Avangrid CEO. “This complements the already strong protections we
have in place for birds and other wildlife at all of our wind
facilities, and I am proud of the hard work that went into this
truly innovative initiative. Our success with this program is an
example of Avangrid’s environmental stewardship as a renewable
energy leader.”
"The Service is proud to be a part of this collaborative effort,
which is not only a success for our agency, Avangrid, and the
Oregon Zoo, but also for our iconic California condors,” said Paul
Souza, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Pacific Southwest Regional
Director. "We worked closely with Avangrid to identify an
innovative and scientifically sound path forward to balance
recovery of condors with development and delivery of renewable
energy. We thank our partners for their commitment to this
strategy."
Avangrid developed this first-of-its-kind conservation plan in
close collaboration with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS)
and the Oregon Zoo in 2021. This plan stipulated that Avangrid fund
a full-time employee at the zoo’s condor breeding facility to
support the captive rearing of six California condors to mitigate
the potential impacts of two incidental condor mortalities over a
30-year period. The USFWS issued Avangrid an incidental take permit
for the Manzana Wind Power Project following completion and
approval of the conservation plan.
To date, there have been no California condor mortalities
detected at any wind facility. Funding from the company supported
the successful rearing of 12 condors, 10 of which were releasable
in 2022 and 2023. It is anticipated the remaining two will be
releasable in the Fall of 2024.
"Conservation is all about partnerships, especially when it
comes to a species like the California condor," said Travis Koons,
who oversees the Oregon Zoo's recovery efforts. "We are so thankful
to everyone for helping bring this iconic, critically endangered
bird back from the very brink of extinction."
Avangrid proactively minimizes and mitigates risks to wildlife
at renewable facilities across its 24-state fleet. The USFWS has
outfitted most free-flying California condors with a GPS
transmitter to track their locations. A geofence at Manzana allows
Avangrid to detect when California condors are near the project and
respond by curtailing turbines to avoid potential wildlife
interactions.
This conservation plan has served as a model for the industry.
In 2023, the USFWS issued an incidental take permit to the Los
Angeles Department of Water and Power and another permit to a group
of 24 wind energy companies. Both permits have a similar condor
conservation plan. Now that Avangrid has met its commitment, the
Los Angeles Department of Water and Power has implemented its
permit mitigation and taken over funding for the full-time employee
at the Oregon Zoo.
The California condor is an endangered species protected under
the Endangered Species Act. After dwindling to just 27 individuals
in the mid-1980s, the global population has increased to over 500
individuals, with over 300 of those birds in the wild, thanks to
the extraordinary efforts of a broad coalition of federal, state,
and local governments, and nonprofits across the western United
States and other interested stakeholders, including the Oregon
Zoo.
About Avangrid: Avangrid, Inc. (NYSE: AGR) aspires to be
the leading sustainable energy company in the United States.
Headquartered in Orange, CT with approximately $45 billion in
assets and operations in 24 U.S. states, Avangrid has two primary
lines of business: networks and renewables. Through its networks
business, Avangrid owns and operates eight electric and natural gas
utilities, serving more than 3.3 million customers in New York and
New England. Through its renewables business, Avangrid owns and
operates a portfolio of renewable energy generation facilities
across the United States. Avangrid employs approximately 8,000
people and has been recognized by JUST Capital as one of the JUST
100 companies – a ranking of America’s best corporate citizens – in
2024 for the fourth consecutive year. In 2024, Avangrid ranked
first among utilities and 12 overall. The company supports the
U.N.’s Sustainable Development Goals and was named among the
World’s Most Ethical Companies in 2024 for the sixth consecutive
year by the Ethisphere Institute. Avangrid is a member of the group
of companies controlled by Iberdrola, S.A. For more information,
visit www.avangrid.com.
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Keaton Thomas Keaton.thomas@avangrid.com 503-956-9621
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