Connecticut stands at a critical crossroads in its pursuit of a sustainable and resilient energy future.
Our residents pay the highest rates for electricity in the continental United States, and while rising energy costs have been difficult for everyone, these costs disproportionately impact Connecticut’s low-income and moderate-income families.
The time for Connecticut to take advantage of offshore wind power is now. Here’s why:
We are experiencing a collision of powerful trends: demand for electricity is growing, climate change is delivering accelerating and compounded impacts to our health, environment and economy, and the use of fossil fuels is continuing to bring dirty air and volatile energy costs to consumers across the state.
Offshore wind power will help to provide much needed energy on a large-scale, can help mitigate the impacts of climate change and provide stable energy costs for generations to come, among many other benefits.
DEEP writes in a recent report that current energy costs are largely driven by fossil fuel price volatility and continue to overburden Connecticut businesses and residents.
Offshore wind energy will stabilize energy costs and help to avoid costly winter electricity rate spikes. Offshore wind can produce more electricity during the winter, when ocean winds are strong and consistent and fill energy gaps during peak demand periods.
In addition, because of long-term contracts, offshore wind suppliers can lock in a steady price for decades at a time eliminating volatile price spikes.
Climate change is already causing dramatic shifts in our state. The CT State Council on Environmental Quality 2022 Annual Report notes that, “Nearly every environmental indicator in the 2022 annual report has a tie to the climate. The trend over more than 60 years suggests that Connecticut’s climate is getting warmer and there’s more precipitation.” And we have the dubious distinction of hosting three of the top ‘asthma capitals’ in our state, accelerated by transportation emissions and poor air quality.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency’s July 2023 Report CISA Extreme Weather Trends and Impacts Connecticut Focus states that:
- Connecticut averages a billion-dollar weather related disaster each year
- Children, older adults, people with chronic disease or mental health issues, and those who live in low-income communities need special attention during major heat events.
- 20 inches (0.5 meters) of sea level rise is expected to occur in Long Island Sound by 2050. Sea level rise will continue possibly reaching 80 inches (6.7 feet) by 2100 if global greenhouse gas emissions are not curbed rapidly.
According to ISO New England, which operates the regional electric grid, Connecticut has nearly 120 generating units with almost 60% operating on some type of fossil fuel. And, the CT State Council on Environmental Quality 2022 Annual Report notes greenhouse gas (GHG) “emissions from reporting facilities in the ‘power plant’ sector increased over 35 percent from 2011 to 2021.”
Offshore wind will also meet our growing demand for electricity. For example, just 2,400 megawatts of electricity from offshore wind could power more than 60% of Connecticut’s homes. 
With offshore wind energy, we can critically reduce the burden on our most vulnerable communities by eliminating the power sources that plague their neighborhoods and create negative health, economic, and quality of life impacts and get millions of federal dollars to invest huge tax credits in these impacted communities. The Biden administration just released guidance for how tax-exempt entities — like schools, local governments, houses of worship, and nonprofit organizations — can get direct help to build green energy projects and create good, green, union jobs: let’s not leave federal dollars on the table to make our clean energy transition to a carbon neutral future.
Offshore wind also fuels major economic development. The state pier in New London is transforming into a significant clean energy hub and bringing jobs, equipment, vessels, and a robust supply chain to support the construction of two offshore wind farms — one of which is set to deliver more than 300 megawatts of renewable energy to our homes and businesses. By responsibly procuring additional offshore wind that’s committing to use local labor workforce and prevailing wage standards and protections, developers will continue to invest heavily in Connecticut.
And yes, there are many challenges facing the offshore wind industry. Higher interest rates, supply chain constraints and price increases, and labor shortages have created economic shifts. These trends have made some offshore wind contractual agreements unfinanceable.
These trends have and will continue to impact the cost of energy for all of us. However, there are things we can do to help lower the cost of offshore wind. We could increase the length of the contracts allowing offshore wind developers to amortize the cost over a longer time resulting in lower annual costs. Utilities could implement strategies that help our most vulnerable populations. For example, in Massachusetts, National Grid has recently proposed to provide greater electric rate relief based on income. Together we can find creative, affordable solutions to mitigate energy price increases for all our ratepayers.
Today, the demand for offshore wind in the U.S. remains high. Offshore wind developers continue to permit their projects and procure supply chain agreements to help state’s meet their climate goals.
My colleague and I recently attended the EOPA Energy Security Summit in Washington, D.C., highlighting the Inflation Reduction Act’s Implementation, cohosted with the U.S. Department of Energy. As legislators, we participated to help ensure that Connecticut applies for our share of the $369 billion in IRA funding to make historic investments in our communities, to invest in our transition to carbon neutral, clean energy grid, with a focus on veteran-owned businesses and centering environmental justice-impacted communities.
This means an historic investment of federal funds in our local workforces and economic justice-impacted communities. According to the EOPA, Elected Officials to Protect America, “Offshore wind could be the biggest lever that we can pull, to reduce our emissions, address the climate crisis, meet our energy needs, and grow our economy simultaneously. It’s poised to become a $1 trillion industry by 2040, creating thousands of good-paying jobs, providing clean renewable energy, and spurring economic growth with environmental justice.”
The U.S. Offshore Wind Power Economic Impact Assessment states that offshore wind is forecast to create nearly 83,000 jobs across an estimated 74 occupations in the U.S. by 2030, with over 23,000 of those jobs being permanent, full-time jobs that will exist once the projects are fully constructed and operational. These jobs include electricians, welders, turbine technicians, longshoremen, truck drivers, crane operators, ironworkers, pipefitters, pile drivers, engineers, mechanics, scientists, as well as offshore equipment and vessel operators.
I am gratified that DEEP has included in their recent RFP for offshore wind development many of our recommendations to prioritize local workforce, our environmental and noise standards as well as requiring developers to contribute to a wildlife monitoring and mitigation fund and propose meaningful community benefits plan as central to our efforts to responsibly procure offshore wind power.
There is enormous global demand for spots in the supply chain for offshore wind, particularly key components like HVDC stations, cables, and turbines. These supply chain shortages mean that if the State of Connecticut does not procure offshore wind in 2024, we will lose spots in the supply chain to other projects in the U.S. and worldwide. This will push back the timeline upon which offshore wind can be delivered by three to five years, possibly more.
We cannot afford to postpone a better energy future for Connecticut. By acting now, we can meet our growing demand for electricity and continue to attract investments, federal funding, create jobs, and establish a robust, responsible supply chain using Connecticut’s trained workforce.
And most importantly, we can provide a cleaner, more affordable, livable future for all of Connecticut.
State Rep. Anne Hughes, 135th District, is a member of the Connecticut Commission for Environmental Standards for Offshore Wind.