Slid into last year’s budget during final negotiations was a provision that limits the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection to 90 days to either approve or deny a laundry list of nearly four-dozen permits. If DEEP doesn’t take action, the permit automatically goes into effect. DEEP calls the sneak change “awful public policy,” and the fight is on.
DEEP
Posted inEnergy & Environment
State says Millstone will get a final chance to prove it needs relief
State energy officials recommended Thursday that the Millstone nuclear power station be allowed to offer further evidence of financial distress as part of a new procurement process that could enhance the profitability of Connecticut’s biggest source of zero-carbon electricity.
Posted inEnergy & Environment
State says more data necessary to assess Millstone’s viability
A long-awaited assessment of the energy market released Monday by the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection and the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority does not resolve questions about the economic viability of the region’s biggest provider of carbon-free electricity, the Millstone nuclear station at Waterford. State officials say they need more information from its owner, Dominion Energy.
Posted inEnergy & Environment
CT’s preliminary conclusion: Millstone profitable through 2035
State energy officials concluded in a preliminary report released Thursday that the Millstone nuclear power station in Waterford will be profitable through 2035, undercutting its owner’s assertion that Connecticut must change how its electricity is sold or face the early retirement of New England’s largest source of carbon-free power. But they reached no conclusions on whether the profits represent a sufficient return on investment for the owner, Dominion Energy.
Posted inEnergy & Environment, Money
Malloy signs Millstone bill, then questions its need
Gov. Dannel P. Malloy signed a bill Tuesday that allows the state to enhance the profitability of Dominion Energy’s Millstone nuclear power plant in Waterford, while pointedly asserting that Dominion has not convinced his administration any such help is warranted.
Posted inEnergy & Environment
Millstone bill passes House, goes to governor
After blocking similar bills over two years, the House of Representatives voted 75 to 66 for final passage Thursday of a measure variously derided as a windfall for a major energy company and praised as a responsible first step toward stabilizing the finances of Connecticut’s last nuclear plant.
Posted inEnergy & Environment
DEEP taking heat on its proposed changes to solar policy
Provisions in the Connecticut Comprehensive Energy Strategy that would drastically limit the number of solar systems people and businesses can put on their roofs and could change the payment structure for excess electricity those systems generate have riled the state’s solar industry and those who support it.
Posted inEnergy & Environment
With no plan for replacing Millstone, what are CT’s options?
Regardless of what the Connecticut legislature decides on Millstone, it won’t change some basic realities: One day the nuclear plant will close, and Connecticut doesn’t have a plan for that. The question of how to replace Millstone elicits all kinds of ideas. But parameters matter: Are we talking short-term, long-term, cleanly, at what cost to ratepayers?
Posted inEnergy & Environment
Millstone bill clears the Senate and goes to the House
A two-year political odyssey by Dominion Energy to convince the Connecticut General Assembly that its Millstone nuclear station needed new rules for selling electricity to remain economically viable neared an end Friday.
Posted inEnergy & Environment
Deal struck on stabilizing profits of Millstone nuclear station
The Connecticut General Assembly and the administration of Gov. Dannel P. Malloy have agreed in principle on bipartisan legislation authorizing state energy officials to take measures to stabilize the profitability of New England’s largest power plant, the Millstone nuclear station in Waterford.
Posted inEnergy & Environment
Dominion still reluctant to open Millstone’s books
Dominion Energy signaled an intention Friday to play hardball with state energy officials by questioning the need to share financial data sought by Connecticut state agencies that are jointly assessing the economic viability of its Millstone nuclear power station, the biggest source of electricity in New England.
Posted inEnergy & Environment
Inquiry opens into fiscal condition of Millstone nuclear station
After lobbying for financial relief for two years, Dominion Energy was non-committal Thursday about providing financial data sought by two state agencies tasked with assessing the financial viability of its Millstone nuclear power plant.
Posted inEnergy & Environment, Money
Millstone cool to Malloy’s ordered study of nukes’ viability
Gov. Dannel P. Malloy signed an executive order Tuesday aimed at resolving hotly contested questions about the economic viability of the Millstone Power Station, a nuclear-powered generator of electricity crucial to Connecticut’s goals for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The plant’s owner warned it needs immediate changes to keep Millstone open.
Posted inEnergy & Environment
Complaints persist even as shared solar (finally) nears finish line
After years of delays, shared solar may finally be close to its first test in Connecticut. But along with some cheers from its supporters, there’s still an awful lot of complaining over how it’s being handled.
Posted inEnergy & Environment
CT gets good news for now on its EPA grants
At least for the near term, the major EPA grants to the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection will keep flowing despite a freeze and review of contracts and grants by the Trump administration.
