Integrated Resource Planning

Integrated Resources Planning

Connecticut General Statutes section 16a-3a requires that the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) prepare an Integrated Resource Plan every two years. An Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) is comprised of an assessment of the future electric needs and a plan to meet those future needs. It is “integrated” in that it looks at both demand side (conservation, energy efficiency, etc.) resources as well as the more traditional supply side (generation/power plants, transmission lines, etc.) resources in making its recommendations on how best to meet future electric energy needs in the state.

2022 Procurement Plan Update

On August 31, 2022, DEEP released a 2022 Procurement Plan Update to its Integrated Resources Plan (IRP). This Plan includes a review of contingencies and changed conditions since the 2020 IRP and a revised procurement schedule, including:

A procurement for solar resources to offset, or replace, the contracted capacity losses that have occurred since IRP modeling results were finalized;
Consideration of cost-effective strategies for transmission upgrades to unlock additional offshore wind resources, including in coordination with other states in the region;
A procurement for transmission and distribution-connected front of the meter energy storage based on identified needs; and
A procurement for anaerobic digestion facilities to help address the State’s materials management infrastructure needs.

2020 IRP

This latest IRP marks Connecticut’s first assessment of pathways to achieve a 100 percent zero-carbon electric sector by 2040, as directed by Governor Ned Lamont through his Executive Order No.3 (E.O. 3). Consistent with the Governor’s intent, this IRP focuses in the near term on areas of reform essential to facilitating the transition to a zero carbon electric sector; to ready the grid with modernized transmission systems, to reform the regional wholesale market, and to implement and synchronize policies and programs that promote affordability and equity.

2020 Final IRP - Released October 7, 2021

Watch DEEP Commissioner Katie Dykes and Julia Dumaine, an economist in DEEP's Office of Energy Supply, give an overview of Integrated Resources Planning and key takeaways and recommendations from DEEP's Final 2020 Integrated Resources Plan:

*NEW* Download the 2020 Final IRP

Appendix A1 - Factor Inputs and Assumptions

Appendix A2 - MARS Modeling

Appendix A3 - Modeling Results

Appendix A4 - Financial Analysis Results

Appendix A5 - Solar Permitting Fact Sheet

Appendix A6 - Procurement Selections and Pricing

Appendix A7 - Carbon Tax Modeling Results

*NEW* Appendix A8- Public Comment Review Report

*NEW* 2020 IRP Glossary of Terms

Additional Background

DEEP initiated the 2020 IRP proceeding with the release of a Notice of Proceedings, Scoping Meeting, and Opportunity for Public Comment in May of 2018 and received stakeholder comment on a preliminary scope. However, since that time, new market and policy developments have occurred including multiple DEEP-conducted competitive procurements for zero carbon resources, the enactment of landmark legislation authorizing DEEP to procure up to 2,000 MW of offshore wind, and on September 3, 2019, Governor Lamont signed Executive Order No. 3 directing DEEP, in consultation with the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority as appropriate, to "analyze pathways and recommend strategies for achieving a 100% zero carbon target for the electric sector by 2040" in the IRP.

These developments warranted a revision to the IRP scope and additional opportunities for stakeholder engagement to ensure that the IRP's analysis and recommendations address current issues of importance for Connecticut's electricity sector. On October 15, 2019, DEEP issued a Notice of Revised Scope, Updated Schedule, and Opportunity for Public Comment which included: