The latest draft of Connecticut’s Integrated Resources Plan — a semi-annual assessment of the state’s electric supply needs and possible sources of energy supply — is being touted by the department as the first to identify sources of supply to meet the state’s goal of zero-carbon electric generation by 2040. Already, 65 percent of the electric supply under contract is renewable or nuclear, and that will increase to 91 percent by 2025. In the eyes of pro-renewable advocates, the department’s roadmap to zero-carbon electric generation is at odds with its recent approval of permits for natural gas plants – including a pipeline to feed a controversial gas-fired plant in Killingly, that would likely operate even after 2040 if it is built. Still, it’s clear that for Connecticut to technically achieve its zero-carbon electric supply, it does not need to eliminate carbon-generating sources of energy. Because Connecticut shares an electric grid with the other New England states, the type of resources providing power in 2040 will be a reflection of the cumulative goals of those states, as well as the regional market operator.
Eyeing Obstacles, Dykes Offers Optimism for State’s Green Energy Goals