Officials with the Danish renewable energy company Ørsted said Wednesday they have signed an agreement to acquire the 50 percent ownership stake that Eversource Energy has in Sunrise Wind, an offshore wind farm designed to provide electricity to New York State. Ørsted’s deal with Eversource comes months after the Danish energy company stopped development on some U.S. offshore wind projects. The company announced in November it was stopping development on the 2,248-megawatt Ocean Wind 1 and 2 projects off the New Jersey coast because of supply chain delays and higher construction costs. News of the agreement also comes two weeks after Eversource officials announced they expect to write off as much as $1.6 billion against its 2023 fourth quarter earnings. The write-offs against earnings will come once Everource completes the sale of its ownership stake in Sunrise Wind and two other offshore power projects, South Fork Wind and Revolution Wind.

https://www.theday.com/state/20240127/danish-company-agrees-to-buy-eversources-stake-in-sunrise-wind-offshore-project/

lans for a new nearly $90 million elementary school to be built in the north end of town drew questions and concerns this week regarding the safety of students walking to the school, traffic flow, changing dismissal and arrival times and more. The as-of-yet unnamed school to be built on 42 acres at the corner of Jarvis Street and Marion Road is the first of two new schools to undergo site plan review by the Planning and Zoning Commission. Plans for a new Norton School will be presented to the PZC next, Gusenburg said. The new Norton School will be built right behind the present school at 414 North Brooksvale Road. Then the old one will be knocked down.

https://www.nhregister.com/recordjournal/article/cheshire-pzc-new-elementary-school-18626113.php?src=nhrhpdesecp

A portion of the redevelopment of the former University of Connecticut campus in town will go before the Town Council for a public hearing on March 11. Newly submitted plans also signal a name change for the development. Previously called Oakwood Park, developer West Hartford 1 LLC has changed the community’s name to Heritage Park, which they said they did after feedback from residents. West Hartford’s Town Council has been pushing for more affordable housing units in recent housing developments that have come in front of them and the town is still in the process of finalizing and approving its new and updated affordable housing plan. As of the town’s most recent report, just under 8 percent of its housing stock is considered affordable housing. West Hartford has a goal of reaching 10 percent over the coming years.

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/westhartford/article/west-hartford-ct-uconn-campus-housing-retail-18625103.php

The brand-new mayors in Hartford and East Hartford are still developing their stances on the facility that abuts their cities, even as a trio of airport businesses pursue a lawsuit against city lawmakers highlighting their anti-airport activism. And the active and well-funded group representing Hartford-Brainard supporters is gearing up to make the case that the airport should be expanded, not shut down. The bottom line: The consultant recommended that the airport stay open, but shut down one little-used runway to make way for industrial development. Both airport boosters and critics say they are unhappy with the consultant’s compromise and vow to challenge both the report and any moves to implement it. The Connecticut Airport Authority, which oversees Bradley International and the state’s five general aviation airports, is awaiting guidance from lawmakers on making any changes at Hartford-Brainard.

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/business/article/ct-hartford-brainard-airport-development-hearing-18621020.php

The East Norwalk train station will close this spring and summer for three-week stretches as crews begin work to replace the train station. As crews begin work on the $1 billion Walk Bridge replacement project, shovels will also break ground in East Norwalk. To improve the overall connectivity and rail service in Norwalk, the Connecticut Department of Transportation decided to take on other improvement projects, including building East Norwalk a new station. “That closure is also going to be three weeks; we’re doing selective demolition on the north platform while we begin to construct the temporary platforms to load passengers onto trains on the interior track 1,” Lee said. The second closure is expected in “late July at the very earliest” or in August or early September, Lee added. The timeline is “subject to change due to material availability,” explained Richard Leso, a project engineer for CDOT.

https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/article/east-norwalk-station-close-upgrades-walk-bridge-18627820.php

The General Assembly is giving up on a special legislative session to address how to keep Connecticut committed to a transition to electric vehicles, leaving the issue for consideration in the regular session that opens on Feb. 7. Facing rejection by a bipartisan legislative committee in November, Gov. Ned Lamont reluctantly withdrew proposed regulations that would keep Connecticut in compliance with the latest California emissions standards, which call for a phase-out of the sales of new gasoline-powered vehicles by 2035. The administration and legislative leaders have been working since then on legislation intended to assure lawmakers that Connecticut would hew to the 2035 goal only if EVs had become more affordable and the state had a sufficient charging infrastructure. The key elements are the creation of a commission to monitor the state’s readiness for electric vehicles, increased funding for a network of chargers in urban areas, and another vote by the General Assembly in 2027 on whether Connecticut would remain committed to the 2035 goal.

Special session shelved: CT will address EV transition in regular session

The town’s Jan. 4 approval of a controversial redevelopment plan to transform the Timex Corp. property into a 670,000-square-foot distribution center is now headed to court. Middlebury Small Town Alliance, which spearheaded a yearlong fight against the project, this week filed an appeal with Waterbury Superior Court. The town’s Planning and Zoning Commission made errors and approved the application with complete disregard for its own regulations, the lawsuit claims. The lawsuit seeks a reversal of the decision and an order that the PZC instead deny the project. It also requests a temporary restraining order be issued prohibiting any use of the zoning permit, pending completion of the appeal. Middlebury’s opposition to the project has garnered statewide attention and been marked by impassioned residents expressing anger over the town’s inability or unwillingness to halt what they fear will be an a Amazon-like facility, with hundreds of trucks going in and out day and night. Yard signs opposing the “distribution center” still dot the town’s landscape.

https://www.rep-am.com/localnews/2024/01/25/middlebury-headed-to-court-over-timex-plan/

As many as 2.1 million U.S. construction workers were misclassified or paid off the books in 2021, according to a new report from the Century Foundation, a progressive think tank and research group focused on equity in education, healthcare and work. A Department of Labor rule change, effective March 11, will reverse a Trump-era shift and implement a new test for determining if a worker is an employee or independent contractor. One of the reasons why this is also harmful for other employers that aren’t doing this is a law-abiding employer is going to be less competitive than someone who’s able to cut their costs because they’re paying their workers off the books. They’re not paying for workers’ comp or overtime or unemployment insurance taxes; none of those other things that the law-abiding employers are paying for. So it also just undermines the ability to have a competitive market and a level playing field.

https://www.constructiondive.com/news/construction-worker-misclassification-issues/705135/

Key Capture Energy is at the forefront of bringing renewable energy to Connecticut, ahead of the state’s goal of getting all its electricity from zero-carbon sources by 2040. The Albany, New York-based company doesn’t install solar arrays or build offshore wind farms. Its projects are based on land, usually near electric substations. Key Capture develops and installs utility-scale battery energy storage facilities, which take surplus energy from solar and wind sources during peak production, store it and then dispatch it to the electric grid when it’s needed. Under the current system, electricity never gets wasted because the grid operator, ISO-New England, can turn additional power plants on when demand is high, or off when demand is low. However, as an increasing percentage of the state’s power comes from intermittent solar- and wind-powered sources, ISO-New England will rely on battery storage to maintain an adequate power supply. Key Capture has eight energy battery storage projects planned in Connecticut. Two have already received approvals from the Siting Council: one in Windsor Locks and another in East Hampton. These will be the first battery energy storage facilities in Connecticut. The company plans to begin operating both in 2026. The projects are 5 MW, which is roughly enough energy to power 4,000 homes. The batteries can dispatch energy for two hours, Williamson said. Key Capture is planning an additional 5 MW project in Stafford/Willington.

Key Capture’s 400 MW battery energy storage projects seen as key to CT’s renewable energy future

The $70 million project by Massachusetts-based Condyne Capital Partners will include 300,000-square-foot and 120,000-square-foot industrial warehouses that will become 75-85 Baker Hollow Road. The projects are additions to Condyne’s larger Baker Hollow Logistics Center, which features the existing 165,000-square-foot Safelite Auto Glass building at 105 Baker Hollow Road, and another 185,000-square-foot building under construction at 205 Baker Hollow Road off the Day Hill Road industrial corridor. Polar Design Builders is the general contractor on the project, while Alford Associates is the civil engineer. Company officials are now working on permitting and anticipate a groundbreaking this summer.

$70M addition approved for Baker Hollow Logistics Center in Windsor