2015 Connecticut General Statutes
Title 16a - Planning and Energy Policy
Chapter 295 - Energy Planning
Section 16a-14e - Purchasing pool for purchase of electricity. Solicitations. Requirements. Selection criteria. Terms of service. Supply of services by municipal electric energy cooperative.

(a) The Department of Energy and Environmental Protection shall operate a purchasing pool for the purchase of electricity for state operations and the operations of any municipality in the state that elects to participate in such purchasing pool. In connection with the operation of such purchasing pool, the Commissioner of Energy and Environmental Protection may solicit proposals from electric suppliers and as authorized pursuant to subsection (e) of this section, on behalf of any state agency, municipality or institution of higher education for electric generation services to purchase electricity for state and municipal operations and to meet the state’s energy policy goals, as established in the comprehensive energy strategy adopted by the commissioner. Said department shall provide the opportunity to participate in such purchasing pool to each household that includes an individual who receives means-tested assistance administered by the state or federal government. Any such household shall receive through such purchasing pool the same benefits and rate discounts available for state facilities. The Department of Energy and Environmental Protection shall use federal and state energy assistance funds to leverage the lowest practicable electric rates for households participating in such pool, provided such funds shall not be used for administrative purposes. The commissioner may make grants available to municipalities that join such pool and commit to achieving the state diversion, recycling and reuse goals in accordance with sections 22a-220 and 22a-241a and the state-wide solid waste management plan adopted and amended pursuant to section 22a-228. The provisions of section 16-245 shall not apply to the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection for purposes of this section.

(b) In connection with the operation of the purchasing pool described in subsection (a) of this section, on or before January 1, 2020, the Commissioner of Energy and Environmental Protection shall solicit, on behalf of state agencies and any municipality or institution of higher education that elects to participate in such purchasing pool, in one or more solicitations, proposals from retail electric suppliers and as authorized pursuant to subsection (e) of this section for electric supply, provided at least one solicitation occurs on or before January 1, 2015. For any solicitation issued for a purchasing pool of three hundred seventy thousand megawatt hours per year or less, proposals submitted in response to such solicitation shall include not less than sixty per cent of electric generation supplied from Class II renewable energy sources, as defined in section 16-1, that originate from trash-to-energy facilities constructed on or before January 1, 2013, and that are permitted pursuant to section 22a-208a. Selection criteria for such services shall include, but are not limited to: (1) The delivered price of such service, (2) the Class II renewable energy facility’s practices in furtherance of the state’s diversion, reduction, reuse and recycling goals that are consistent with sections 22a-220 and 22a-241a and the state-wide solid waste management plan adopted and amended pursuant to section 22a-228, (3) the degree to which a proposal includes a greater percentage of trash-to-energy in the fuel mix, and (4) the degree to which a proposal includes a greater number of trash-to-energy facilities. On or before January 1, 2020, the commissioner shall, through one or more solicitations, select the proposals that meet the requirements of this subsection to satisfy, for a total period of not less than five consecutive years, not less than three hundred seventy thousand megawatt hours per year of electric supply, provided such proposals include sixty per cent of electric generation supplied from Class II renewable energy sources, as described in this subsection, and otherwise meet the requirements of this subsection. Any proposals for such electric supply service selected by the commissioner shall be for a period of not more than five years and at a price not higher than one-half cent per kilowatt hour above the price for standard generation service at the time any such solicitation is issued. In the event that no proposals include sixty per cent or more of electric generation supplied from Class II renewable energy sources, as defined in section 16-1, that originate from trash-to-energy facilities constructed on or before January 1, 2013, and that are permitted pursuant to section 22a-208a, the commissioner may select the proposal or proposals with the highest percentage of electric generation supplied from such Class II renewable energy sources, provided the price does not exceed one-half cent per kilowatt hour above the price for standard generation service at the time any such solicitation is issued.

(c) In the event that the pool authorized pursuant to subsection (a) of this section exceeds three hundred seventy thousand megawatt hours per year of electric supply, the commissioner may select an amount using the selection criteria contained in subsection (b) of this section, provided the requirement contained in subsection (b) of this section for sixty per cent of such electric generation supplied from Class II renewable energy sources shall not apply to any such amount of such pool that exceeds three hundred seventy thousand megawatt hours per year.

(d) For the purposes of subdivisions (17) and (18) of subsection (b) of section 7-233e, the purchasing pool described in subsection (a) of this section and any energy improvement district described in section 32-80a shall be deemed to be included in the entities that constitute electric power entities.

(e) Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection (g) of section 16-245c, a municipal electric energy cooperative is authorized to and may provide and supply electric generation services to those entities that constitute electric power entities, as described in subsection (d) of this section, provided any such cooperative shall comply with the renewable energy procurement requirements of sections 16-243q and 16-245a with respect to the electric generation services supplied to such entities, and further provided all costs directly associated with seeking to provide or providing such electric generation services, and all costs otherwise reasonably allocable to seeking to provide or providing such electric generation services, are excluded from the costs that such electric energy cooperative charges any other electric energy cooperative participant. Any such cooperative shall not be subject to the provisions of section 16-245.

(P.A. 98-28, S. 60, 117; P.A. 11-80, S. 1; P.A. 14-94, S. 9.)

History: P.A. 98-28 effective July 1, 1998; pursuant to P.A. 11-80, “Office of Policy and Management” was changed editorially by the Revisors to “Department of Energy and Environmental Protection”, effective July 1, 2011; P.A. 14-94 designated existing provisions as Subsec. (a) and amended same by adding provisions re inclusion of operations of municipalities, solicitation of proposals and making grants available to municipalities to join purchasing pool, added Subsec. (b) re solicitations from retail electric suppliers for purchasing pool of 370,000 megawatt hours or less per year, added Subsec. (c) re when purchasing pool exceeds 370,000 megawatt hours per year, added Subsec. (d) re purchasing pool and energy improvement districts constituting electric power entities and added Subsec. (e) re municipal electric energy cooperative providing electric generation services to electric power entities, effective June 6, 2014.