[{"_1":2,"_112":-5,"_113":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88,100],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6361709,"mediaKeyId","2170319-ed293043c78627c936fe40c40f882013","parentId",2170319,"title","Office of Consumer Counsel urges affordability focus, PBR transparency and raises Aquarion sale concerns","audioSeconds",1088,"startMs",9868000,"endMs",10956000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2170319-ed293043c78627c936fe40c40f882013&start=9868&end=10956","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2170319-ed293043c78627c936fe40c40f882013/thumbnail_9868000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6361709/Connecticut/Office-of-Consumer-Counsel-urges-affordability-focus-PBR-transparency-and-raises-Aquarion-sale-concerns","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6361709-51a71ae58fe4494b2a06a47f7bcc126c/orig.mp4?Expires=1771170691&Signature=VUgsuUZuNpOuNDR~QVqxWvNZ7d0tVa2h3tdJ4grY~xUUZRByVYTwSgOGLvLXPoGhPyMp0jHxMPgJ99FtUNxkleqpfhZDd2FMwbtRNrMMh6KLJ1xhDv7xTQDNwMUDflil9ng7OWxYigGsc2c7AIuiiAzPTqEVF8-itC9oa7agHP-WfTVcJbG1JSHeGkqBFyDyl7BIOo9A67FjBJVaVNTLk7FNmJ8OxKAHD1KjRB-5W0xDSOAXRkpI8RhoROU5rrqBaA97X9poapbzREXmIXPl8yofgGP4pVxJcgaYIpBRrEtG7vvascevUrU~VejAIwOlRfR-2~k3kPIE7tVd0ozY5Q__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","CGA - Energy and Technology Committee","date","2025-01-30T00:00:00Z","article","The Connecticut Office of Consumer Counsel (OCC) told legislators it is focused on keeping utility costs affordable, increasing transparency around distribution planning and performance‑based regulation, and ensuring that procurements and transmission investments are reviewed with ratepayers in mind.

\"We do a wide range of work on behalf of customers,\" OCC director Claire Coleman said, noting OCC’s active role in PURA dockets, regional proceedings and appellate litigation. She described OCC’s priorities as protecting consumers in retail‑supply markets, scrutinizing transmission and asset‑condition investments, and pushing for more data and transparency from utilities so performance‑based regulation can be effective.

Coleman said OCC has long sought clearer accounting of transmission investments and urged scrutiny of the growing share of asset‑condition and repair projects in transmission spending. On performance‑based regulation, OCC said the approach can improve transparency and align incentives but requires robust data collection and careful design.

OCC also raised concerns about the announced deal for Aquarion Water Company to be acquired by the Regional Water Authority (RWA). \"We are concerned and intend to be proactive in terms of ensuring that Aquarion customers are protected,\" Coleman said, noting the announced sale price raised questions about future rate impacts. OCC said it will participate in any change‑of‑control proceeding and ask PURA for protections for existing customers.

Why it matters: OCC is the statutory consumer advocate; its participation in PURA dockets and regional planning helps ensure ratepayer perspectives are represented. OCC emphasized that policy changes and utility investments need data and transparency to protect consumers and avoid stranded costs.

OCC said it will continue to monitor retail‑supply markets, broadband and water proceedings and will press for final decisions that align customer affordability, service quality and long‑term planning.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","ET with Agencies Informational Forum 2025-01-30","oneSentenceSummary","The state Office of Consumer Counsel (OCC) told legislators it is prioritizing affordability, performance‑based regulation (PBR), scrutiny of transmission and condition‑related utility projects, and oversight of a pending sale of Aquarion Water Company to the Regional Water Authority.","taxTitle","2025 Legislature CT, Connecticut","taxId",77677,"location","Connecticut","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6361714,"PURA explains docket process: how contested hearings, RAM adjustments and rate cases work",439,6671000,7110000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2170319-ed293043c78627c936fe40c40f882013&start=6671&end=7110","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2170319-ed293043c78627c936fe40c40f882013/thumbnail_6671000.jpg","/articles/6361714/Connecticut/PURA-explains-docket-process-how-contested-hearings-RAM-adjustments-and-rate-cases-work","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6361714-06eac1cd00bd38652920ba9efb53a83a/orig.mp4?Expires=1771170691&Signature=RoKc455goMMGjp8WHHKkdwTHgq9xypWVAG77z7VyNJnhJAP-l99MN6FMopxL-IEhFfb-buBS~7m0-neIrJPaSaFny~kKoSmC4-nhf85UqBQTA4x4X5eEjakebcOZnx2vTGBH9UAYY~RGjZbJeUumNhHHXxMB5~B9KgluEgsXivlNxI9dFX0Bup8Y5XebEEoL8h2rONJpr4GAsaJafRYrpa7~YdfTmAcxfv28ZuuTlSRtczQdHmWoryLivOryaMc-AsV5k2yiZ0IQnHDP8Y5QlJkNlzxKO0wuqkGhG4fCCqszG2o18dfrxG98Ez~X1BN7U0Dv3xYB-02r-xOgSmFdLA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Connecticut’s Public Utilities Regulatory Authority (PURA) told an informational forum that it operates like a quasi‑judicial agency and that its decisions rely on the evidence developed in formal dockets. PURA staff described how contested proceedings (such as rate cases) follow an extended evidentiary schedule, while revenue adjustment and standard service filings follow abbreviated, time‑sensitive processes.

PURA Chair explained the agency’s docket process: opening filings, pre‑filed testimony, technical sessions, evidentiary hearings with witness testimony and cross‑examination, briefs or exceptions, and then a final decision and public vote. \"Once that docket is opened, we'll have a couple of, a flurry of opening what look like legal documents,\" the chair said, walking committee members through a rate‑case timeline.

On the difference between contested and non‑contested proceedings, PURA staff said contested status is a legal determination often tied to whether a statute requires a hearing. If the legislature wants additional procedural protections, including the contested hearing process, it should require a hearing in statute. PURA clarified that contested proceedings afford parties fuller legal rights and a longer record development timeline.

PURA also described the revenue‑adjustment mechanism (RAM) and timing for standard service changes. The authority now requires utilities to file RAM and standard service materials on a predictable schedule so that rate changes can be reviewed and set for May 1 (with a September prudency reconciliation), a change adopted after high‑bill complaints in 2020. \"We do RAM adjustments twice per year,\" PURA staff said.

Why it matters: Legislators and ratepayers depend on PURA to balance utility finances, system reliability and consumer protections. Understanding the difference between rapid filings (RAM/standard service) and longer contested dockets is important for setting expectations about how quickly PURA can act and how the legislature can influence procedure through statute.

PURA said it will continue outreach (PURA 101 briefings) and that stakeholders should use docket participation to ensure broader evidence is in the record before final decisions are made.","The state Public Utilities Regulatory Authority (PURA) briefed legislators on its quasi‑judicial docket process, the difference between contested and non‑contested proceedings, and timing for revenue‑adjustment filings tied to utility rates.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6361719,"Connecticut DEEP outlines integrated planning, procurements and energy‑efficiency push",813,6122000,6935000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2170319-ed293043c78627c936fe40c40f882013&start=6122&end=6935","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2170319-ed293043c78627c936fe40c40f882013/thumbnail_6122000.jpg","/articles/6361719/Connecticut/Connecticut-DEEP-outlines-integrated-planning-procurements-and-energyefficiency-push","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6361719-a8908c83a8f4e16355c93a357f9f6145/orig.mp4?Expires=1771170691&Signature=bak2YGyKRXTdyRTmSmAOFPq~bx7uJsl-Giyv-ZX7fZY9L5~AkXmRPFAfM7vtLnXEzV2mifjLHKl3DgQdh~qJ3S3UeLbuHCNU0EcMilIYb2zu15cc5P4Hg-5UbdxNDHLZvjf5IJKkWxl9UAgkogCoqAOiV7N3xhMStniyOqSUSED-ML8ik4ztu6tyygGguDykHtBg3226VjlBbcjMy9dv3FENdYHshzZxn1YBCjofhynYTluqlr1sik2W0JDwW0PaSBuDjESFS~UyJhwol-FJ9J99Tu~z0p5Xo4habBrLtoZLCtoawVmxZ7LyG-jh09t5ePbKn3AoqGNsnyUk~INIZw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection Commissioner Katie Dykes told legislators that DEEP will launch a new integrated resource planning process within days and will continue procurements to meet reliability, decarbonization and affordability goals.

\"We have responsibility to conduct an integrated resources plan for the state,\" Commissioner Dykes said, describing a 10‑year planning cycle that integrates stakeholder input. She said DEEP will immediately begin the next integrated resource plan (IRP) process and share the scope with the committee and stakeholders.

DEEP described three central program areas: policy and analysis (including regional engagement with ISO New England and NEPOOL), administration of state programs (energy efficiency, weatherization, solar programs, and grant administration for federal funds), and competitive procurement and deployment (long‑term contracts and grid resilience procurements).

Dykes said the agency has supported procurements aimed at preserving reliability that the ISO markets did not attract on their own — for example, contracts related to the Millstone nuclear facility and to peaking plants needed for winter reliability. DEEP announced a recent competitive procurement for 200 megawatts of energy storage and noted prior procurements for natural‑gas pipeline and LNG capacity to shore up winter fuel delivery.

On demand reduction, Dykes emphasized energy efficiency and heat‑pump deployment. \"Energy efficiency is the cheapest source of power,\" she said, and DEEP will run a procurement (under authority granted by the legislature) to attract third‑party providers and to expand participation, including commercial and industrial customers. She described proposals to blend incentives, on‑bill repayment and third‑party navigation to increase uptake and address workforce and financing barriers.

Commissioner Dykes also described Connecticut’s successful Climate Pollution Reduction Grant award; the state led a regional proposal that the EPA awarded roughly $450 million, with about $100 million slated for Connecticut. DEEP said it is monitoring changes at the federal level that could affect deployment of federal funds, and coordinating with the attorney general’s office on legal protections if federal administrative actions disrupt those programs.

On offshore wind and Canadian imports, Dykes said the state remains interested in offshore wind as a winter‑season resource, but is monitoring federal actions and continuing to pursue onshore wind and transmission options that may access northern Maine wind and Canadian hydro. She noted an estimated need to replace roughly 5,000 megawatts of oil‑fired winter capacity and said ISO analysis suggests several gigawatts of offshore wind could help provide winter reliability, but that gaps remain.

Why it matters: DEEP frames state policy as a complement to regional markets: when markets do not produce the resource mix states need for reliability and decarbonization, the state may run competitive procurements and deploy public funds to secure it. Energy efficiency and targeted heat‑pump programs are core near‑term tools to lower bills and reduce peak demand.

DEEP said it will share formal written materials and expects to engage the committee and stakeholders throughout the IRP and procurement processes.","CT Department of Energy and Environmental Protection said it will launch a new integrated resource plan, pursue competitive procurements for storage and reliability, and expand energy‑efficiency programs including heat‑pump incentives and community resilience grants.",{"_33":101,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":102,"_41":103,"_43":104,"_45":105,"_47":106,"_49":107,"_51":108,"_53":109,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":110,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":111,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6361723,"ISO New England: Markets tied to natural gas, transmission and storage must expand to meet electrification",1054,982000,2036000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2170319-ed293043c78627c936fe40c40f882013&start=982&end=2036","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2170319-ed293043c78627c936fe40c40f882013/thumbnail_982000.jpg","/articles/6361723/Connecticut/ISO-New-England-Markets-tied-to-natural-gas-transmission-and-storage-must-expand-to-meet-electrification","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6361723-35ba29fbe341debef2b83e85b518bb55/orig.mp4?Expires=1771170691&Signature=PhN9dKrxx52zn9BpL6gWVIz73qTcXIAvh-r1xdk2tM4nLns4YDIt~I-AaUOmDmNy1SnMY7BYgfj2UJRnimCkE-TiVNaLxjp9eFnhqzyXAhIHcBi6y90jqtaNUBzFvmdeQOgvBlcHs49wfzuRo8CAgcix-H2hHmpY226rEvfAB4nqGrFtMGmacxEexVDKna68s5XHd60fADdG19mw6V2ugl7GvygK4kbsaMPuPUfu3Hu-ufNmaMMgLSoP4PMB9EuxzPc7bKbT55ro4r-Kl2okUIv3k3~0xYTDYIq4TFwo3D3D7w8ixTRRxTTDoPzOEoq7DOxYIfvLddmZMChpC1q1Zg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","ISO New England representatives told a Connecticut informational forum that the region's wholesale electricity markets remain tightly linked to natural gas pricing, and that meeting state clean‑energy goals will require major additions of transmission capacity and energy-storage resources. ISO officials said wholesale market signals generally bring cost‑efficient resources into the system, but that the states' off‑market procurements and the changing resource mix present planning and policy challenges.

At the forum, Carrie Schlichting, ISO New England’s lead state policy advisor for Connecticut, described the operator's three principal roles: operating the power system in real time, designing and overseeing the wholesale markets, and performing regional power‑system planning out to multi‑decadal horizons. \"We are the regional grid operator in New England,\" she said, noting ISO responsibilities for day‑to‑day balancing, market administration and long‑term planning.

Schlichting and Anne George, ISO New England vice president for external affairs and communications, stressed that prices in New England are sensitive to natural‑gas markets and recent global events. \"Natural gas and wholesale electricity are linked,\" they said, citing spikes in liquefied natural gas prices after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine as a recent example that pushed wholesale electricity costs higher. ISO staff pointed out that states' retail policies and contracts also influence consumers' electric bills beyond wholesale prices.

ISO described major system characteristics: roughly 9,000 miles of high‑voltage transmission lines in New England, 13 transmission interconnections that allow imports from New York and Canada, and an interconnection queue now dominated by wind, solar and batteries rather than the natural‑gas projects that characterized an earlier era. Schlichting said imports supplied about 12% of the region’s energy in 2024, and ISO staff said a majority of those flows came from Canada, with two‑way transfers to New York as well.

Looking ahead, ISO officials said the region will need more transmission to interconnect clean resources and to move power between northern and southern New England. Anne George described a new competitive process ISO will run at the states’ request to procure transmission that could unlock onshore wind in Maine and increase imports from Canada; ISO expected to issue an RFP later in the spring for projects driven by state requests.

On resource adequacy, ISO staff said the capacity market has generally been oversubscribed in recent years but acknowledged that planned retirements of older plants will change that balance. The market is under review and ISO is considering structural changes to better align procurement timing and the capabilities of new resource types.

Data centers and other large behind‑the‑meter loads drew questions from legislators. \"We would view these as a new step load,\" Carrie Schlichting said. ISO said such projects would normally enter its studies through transmission or interconnection processes; the review considers load characteristics (flexible versus inflexible), on‑site generation, storage and points of interconnection. ISO staff added they have not yet received formal interconnection applications for large data‑center loads in New England comparable to the surge seen in PJM and Northern Virginia but are monitoring nearby regions and FERC decisions.

Battery storage was discussed as a key balancing resource. ISO said the interconnection queue shows a large number of short‑duration batteries (generally two‑ to four‑hour systems); longer‑duration storage is less common but is being pursued for specific projects and through DOE programs. ISO also noted the so‑called \"duck curve\" effect from behind‑the‑meter solar, which creates mid‑day overgeneration and a late‑day ramp that storage can help mitigate.

Legislators pressed ISO about whether market signals alone would attract the mix of resources states want for decarbonization. \"Our markets are set up to be fuel neutral,\" Anne George said, reiterating that markets signal cost‑effective resources but may not by themselves produce the specific resource mix policymakers prefer. She and Schlichting discussed a carbon price in wholesale markets as a possible way to internalize policy goals, but said it would require regional support and likely federal approval.

ISO officials emphasized reliability as a core responsibility and said they are extending planning horizons beyond the traditional 10 years to account for anticipated electrification of heating and transportation. \"We are purposely pushing beyond our typical 10‑year planning horizon,\" Anne George said, describing work to incorporate electric‑vehicle and heat‑pump adoption forecasts into planning.

Why it matters: Connecticut and the other New England states share a tightly coupled grid. ISO’s presentation framed the choices ahead: whether to rely on market prices to bring resources online, to use state procurements and contracts to secure particular resource types, or to change market design to reflect policy goals. The mix affects reliability, rates and which projects get built.

Legislators and ISO agreed on one practical item: the region will need substantial new transmission and balancing resources to integrate offshore wind, distributed solar and electrification. ISO said it will work with states on procurement and market changes but cautioned that commercially feasible projects, siting and federal approvals will all shape outcomes.","ISO New England told Connecticut legislators that wholesale markets remain tightly linked to natural gas prices, that the region needs substantially more transmission and longer-duration energy storage to meet state clean-energy targets, and that offshore wind and Canadian imports are important but still uncertain pieces of the supply mix.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Office of Consumer Counsel urges affordability focus, PBR transparency and raises Aquarion sale concerns

PURA explains docket process: how contested hearings, RAM adjustments and rate cases work

Connecticut DEEP outlines integrated planning, procurements and energy‑efficiency push

ISO New England: Markets tied to natural gas, transmission and storage must expand to meet electrification