CT, New England States Push For Electric Grid Reform

CONNECTICUT — Gov. Lamont and other New England governors are calling for regional electrical reform, including a push for more renewable energy to flow through the grid.

“When Connecticut deregulated our electricity sector, we were promised competition, lower risk for ratepayers, more affordable electricity, and a system that respects and accommodates our clean energy mandates,” Lamont said in a statement. “What we got is a system that has actively hindered our efforts to decarbonize the grid, and imposed burdensome costs on Connecticut ratepayers to fix market design failures.”

Lamont along with governors from Maine, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Vermont want the governance of the regional independent system operator ISO-New England to change. The governors will release documents later this week with specific reform ideas. They are also calling for reform for how transmission of electricity is planned.

Connecticut has already pushed for reform on the state level. Lamont signed a utility reform bill into law earlier this month.

Connecticut has the highest average per kilowatt electric price in the continental U.S. as of July 2020 at 22.05 cents per kilowatt, according to the federal Energy Information Administration. New England as a whole has the highest electric rates out of any continental region. The U.S. per kilowatt residential average is 13.26 cents.

Non-profit ISO-New England coordinates the flow of electricity over the New England region’s grid and helps plan for electric needs. It also helps coordinate the buying and selling of electric production. The system currently relies on natural gas for 57 percent of electrical generation. Another 24 percent of production comes from nuclear sources, 14 percent from renewable sources and five percent from hydropower.

Lamont signed an executive order that aims to get Connecticut off of fossil fuels for power generation by 2040. Massachusetts is also aiming for net zero emissions by 2050 and Rhode Island by 2030.

ISO-New England said in a statement that the common vision of the New England governors will play a role in the future of the grid.

“We have received the governors’ statement, and look forward to engaging with the states and our stakeholders on these issues,” said ISO-New England spokesman Matthew Kakley. “ ISO New England, the New England states, and market participants have a long history of working together to tackle the challenges facing the power system, and we expect that to continue.”

ISO-New England came under fire from state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection Commissioner Katie Dykes earlier this year, according to the CT Mirror. She said the state was at the mercy of a push for more natural gas plants, which the state doesn’t want. ISO-New England disagreed with the claims and said Connecticut still maintained control over the creation of new gas power plants.