Press Releases
03/07/2023
DEEP Announces Two Clean Energy Procurements
DEEP Plans to Conduct Procurements for Offshore Wind Power and Other Zero Carbon Energy in Furtherance of State’s Greenhouse Gas Emissions Goals and to Advance Grid Reliability and Affordability
(HARTFORD) -- The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) announced today its intention to conduct two new procurements for grid-scale zero-carbon energy resources this year as the state continues making progress on Governor Lamont’s Energy Action Plan to improve energy affordability and reliability and achieve state statutory mandates for greenhouse gas emissions reduction of at least 80 percent below 2001 levels by 2050 and a 100 percent zero carbon electric sector by 2040.
“Building on our significant clean energy investments to date, procuring additional cost-competitive zero carbon energy is a critical pathway to make energy more clean, affordable, and reliable,” said DEEP Commissioner Katie Dykes. “The Lamont Administration with the support of the Legislature has positioned Connecticut to be a leader in supporting technologies that will deliver new economic opportunities for workers and businesses, and accelerate our independence from fossil fuel-related energy price spikes.”
The two procurements DEEP intends to conduct are a procurement for new zero carbon electricity generating resources and a procurement for offshore wind.
The purpose of these procurements is to secure cost-effective zero carbon resources that can improve the reliability of the region’s electric grid, while also improving energy affordability by reducing dependence on fossil fuel resources that are subject to volatile pricing and delivery constraints. The procurements are also consistent with decarbonizing Connecticut’s electricity grid by 2040; achieving the state’s economy-wide greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction goals, including an interim GHG emissions reduction target of at least 45 percent below 2001 levels by 2030; and other energy and environmental goals and policies established in the Integrated Resources Plan (IRP) and the Comprehensive Energy Strategy (CES).
In August 2022, DEEP issued a Procurement Plan Update, announcing procurements that DEEP planned to undertake in 2023 to implement the findings and recommendations of the IRP for Connecticut. The IRP further noted the need for additional offshore wind. DEEP’s announcement today is to initiate two of the procurements identified in the IRP and Procurement Plan Update.
The IRP modeled multiple pathways to achieve a 100 percent zero-carbon electric sector and shows that Connecticut has already made significant progress. It demonstrated multiple achievable pathways to a zero-carbon electric sector by 2040, which will increase reliability and control costs. With the passage of the federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the federal Inflation Reduction Act, which constitutes the single biggest climate investment in U.S. history, new clean energy resources also benefit from new federal incentives designed to lower their costs.
DEEP will hold a virtual public informational meeting to receive stakeholder input to inform the development of the requests for proposals (RFPs) on March 29, 2023, via Zoom. To join the meeting, please register using this link: https://ctdeep.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_PUItxAbDQsSn-uxaJh6mXA.
The draft RFPs will be released for public comment following the public meeting and prior to issuing the final RFPs.
For more information, please visit the DEEP Energy Filing webpage here: Energy Filings (state.ct.us)
- Twitter: @CTDEEPNews
- Facebook: DEEP on Facebook
Contact
DEEP Communications
DEEP.communications@ct.gov
860-424-3110