Press Releases
10/31/2019
Iberdrola Renewables' Gary LeMoine Earns Safety Award
Iberdrola Renewables' Gary LeMoine Earns Safety Award
National Advocacy Group Recognizes LeMoine's Contributions to Wind Industry Safety
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May 4, 2009
Portland, Ore. — The American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) today honored Iberdrola Renewables' Gary LeMoine, director of environmental health safety and security. LeMoine was presented with the AWEA Achievement in Operations Award for his tireless dedication and leadership on behalf of wind industry safety. LeMoine received the award at the national advocacy group's annual conference in Chicago.
"If you've ever been through a bad accident, it's the worst experience you can ever have, and there's nothing you can do to make up for it," said LeMoine. "The reason safety is important to me is just to send people home safely to their families at night."
AWEA president-elect Don Furman, senior vice president for development, transmission and policy at Iberdrola Renewables said: "Gary is the heart of the recent safety effort in the industry. He's the one who pushed elevation of the safety committee and its activities to where it is today."
LeMoine was instrumental in AWEA's Safety Committee, leading the effort to organize safety professionals from throughout the wind industry. He served three years as the committee's vice chairman, has spoken at numerous AWEA conferences and symposiums, and served as co-chair of the first-ever AWEA Safety Conference in 2007. Lemoine has also advocated on behalf of the industry for Occupational Safety and Health Administration compliance, and started numerous AWEA-based efforts to proactively liaise with OSHA personnel.
An organization such as AWEA unites diverse wind power developers, construction companies and plant operators and provides an important industry forum for safety. "It's important to have a consistent set of safety standards everywhere in the US so people know what to expect," said Kevin Devlin, vice president of wind operations for Iberdrola Renewables.
LeMoine's work has shaped the way Iberdrola Renewables and its predecessor entity PPM Energy tackle safety issues. "Gary has been very instrumental in driving our approach to safety," said Ralph Currey, president and CEO of Iberdrola Renewables. "We believe that it's not safety first or safety last but that we integrate safety in everything we do."
Denise Bode, AWEA CEO, thanked LeMoine for his many safety leadership contributions. "As chair of AWEA's Safety Committee, Gary LeMoine has been a tireless champion for a consistently safe and reliable wind business. The industry's record of safety is excellent, and our Safety Committee is working to further strengthen that record as the wind industry grows. We are grateful for Gary's committed leadership and look forward to continued efforts in this essential area of our business."
Contact:
Art Sasse, Director, Communications & Brand, Iberdrola Renewables, 503-796-7740
Paul Copleman, Media Relations, Iberdrola Renewables, 207-641-2805
About Avangrid: Avangrid, Inc. (NYSE: AGR) aspires to be the leading sustainable energy company in the United States. Headquartered in Orange, CT with approximately $44 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 in 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024 as one of the JUST 100 companies – a ranking of America’s best corporate citizens. 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.
About Iberdrola: Iberdrola is one of the world's biggest energy companies and a leader in renewables, spearheading the energy transition to a low carbon economy. The group supplies energy to almost 100 million people in dozens of countries. With a focus on renewable energy, smart networks and smart solutions for customers, Iberdrola’s main markets include Europe (Spain, the United Kingdom, Portugal, France, Germany, Italy and Greece), the United States, Brazil, Mexico and Australia. The company is also present in growth markets such as Japan, Taiwan, Ireland, Sweden and Poland, among others.
With a workforce of nearly 40,000 and assets in excess of €141.7 billion, across the world, Iberdrola helps to support 400,000 jobs across its supply chain, with annual procurement of €12.2 billion. A benchmark in the fight against climate change, Iberdrola has invested more than €130 billion over the past two decades to help build a sustainable energy model, based on sound environmental, social and governance (ESG) principles.
