Avangrid introduces GenAI to support field operations in the US

Iberdrola subsidiary Avangrid has introduced generative AI to transform its field operations, in particular supporting technicians at its wind farms.

The solution, named patent pending ‘First Time Right Autopilot’, is aimed to put the power of AI literally into the hands of field technicians to speed up troubleshooting and optimise operational efficiencies.

Built using AWS’s Amazon Bedrock AI foundation models, the GenAI tool was trained by Avangrid drawing on its operations and maintenance knowledge base to enable the technicians to rapidly identify and resolve issues with the operation of the wind turbines.

The process begins when a field technician encounters an issue and they engage the tool integrated into their mobile device through voice or text.

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It gathers pertinent information to narrow down the problem’s nature and scope and then provides the technician with detailed, step-by-step instructions, often supplemented with relevant documentation or instructional videos.

“The First Time Right Autopilot is the perfect example of Avangrid and Iberdrola leading the way when it comes to innovation in our sector,” said Pedro Azagra, Avangrid CEO.

“By leveraging generative AI to provide real-time, expert-level support, we are empowering our technicians with the tools they need to improve reliability and efficiency within our fleet."

First Time Right Autopilot has been deployed to two Avangrid wind plants, one in Iowa and another in New York and the company expects to deploy it across its fleet later in 2025.

Ryan Haley, senior manager of field operations at Avangrid, adds that the solution has demonstrated good performance for the technicians and should get even better as the models are trained with more information.

While the initial focus is on the wind technology, the principles are similar for other field operations and Avangrid reports evaluating additional ways to use the tool to improve business performance.