(HARTFORD, CT) – Governor Ned Lamont today announced a new energy investment plan to secure low-cost clean energy to meet Connecticut’s climate goals through the release of the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) 2022 Procurement Plan. The plan builds on the state’s existing investments in a clean energy future by capitalizing on new state and federal actions to build out clean, affordable, and reliable electricity supply.
Connecticut’s 2020 Integrated Resource Plan identified paths to meet various state energy objectives, including a 100% zero-carbon electric supply by 2040. With new federal legislation in place, including the single biggest climate investment in U.S. history with the passage of the federal Inflation Reduction Act, the state is now preparing a series of procurements that could secure clean energy resources — such as storage, solar, and transmission — at a lower cost as a result of new federal incentives.
“Connecticut is acting swiftly to take advantage of these historic federal funding opportunities, which will make investment in clean energy more affordable than it’s ever been,” Governor Lamont said. “This procurement plan will insulate ratepayers from volatile energy prices while making progress in achieving our climate goals.”
“Starting later this year, the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection will use existing authorities to pursue additional renewable resources supporting our climate and waste management goals, further our offshore wind coordination efforts, and identify new energy storage opportunities,” DEEP Commissioner Katie Dykes said. “We will continue to harness competition to seek energy solutions that are healthier and more affordable for Connecticut residents and businesses.”
With the passage of both the federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and Inflation Reduction Act, which will provide significant tax credits and other incentives for clean energy resources, this plan calls for a procurement for solar resources and a procurement for energy storage systems to take advantage of the anticipated lower costs of these resources. It also calls for regional action on electricity transmission to unlock more, and more affordable, offshore development, and take advantage of substantial federal funding to regional transmission approaches.
Finally, this plan ensures the state will work with municipalities and use its available tools to help combat the waste crisis by conducting a procurement for anaerobic digestion.
Accelerating the timeline for procurements originally detailed in 2020 demonstrates both the strategic flexibility needed to achieve a 2040 zero carbon target and the critical need to seek the most cost-effective options in the market for Connecticut residents and businesses.
DEEP will issue a schedule of next steps for each of these actions in coming weeks, starting with a DEEP-hosted kick-off event on October 5, 2022, to lay out the planned procurement process. For more information, email DEEP.EnergyBureau@ct.gov.
**Download: Department of Energy and Environmental Protection 2022 Procurement Plan