A contentious plan to heat state office buildings in downtown Hartford with a new generation of gas-powered boilers is on hold due to potential interference from the planned reconstruction of Interstate 84, officials confirmed this week. In an interview Wednesday, Department of Administrative Services Commissioner Michelle Gilman said her agency decided late last year to pause a planned renovation of the Capitol Area System — a network of 15 buildings connected by underground heating and cooling pipes known as the “loop” — following discussions with other state officials about need to utilize space around the loop for highway construction. By agreeing to pause the project, Gilman said the state would avoid wasting money on new equipment that might later need to be removed to accommodate the highway. In addition, she said the pause will give officials more time to consider more climate-friendly alternatives to new gas investments that have been pushed by some advocates. The loop is powered by the CAS thermal plant on Capitol Avenue, which utilizes natural gas boilers to provide heat and hot water for hundreds of state offices, as well as some private buildings such as the Bushnell Performing Arts Center. (The state Capitol building relies on a separate system to heat and cool the 146-year-old building.)

https://hartfordbusiness.com/article/update-of-hartfords-underground-loop-heating-system-on-hold/