Connecticut’s top two utility watchdogs have called upon regulators to investigate the closure of four Connecticut Light & Power facilities, to ensure the company is prepared to respond to outage emergencies and that its parent isn’t unduly laying off Connecticut workers.
CL&P, which since has been rebranded Eversource Energy, announced on Jan. 20 that it will close its facilities in Simsbury, Waterbury, Glastonbury, and Newington, relocating 400 employees in an effort to shrink its overall footprint in the state. The announcement comes after the 2013 closures of facilities in Plainfield, Middletown, New Milford, Willimantic, Oxford, Wilton, and Greenwich.
“It’s important to note that this consolidation is part of an overall plan to streamline operations and build on the improvements we have already made to customer service,” said Eversource spokesman Mitch Gross. “These changes are aimed at responding more effectively to customer needs while at the same time reducing facility costs associated with under-utilized locations.”
Just as they did with the 2013 closures, state Attorney General George Jepsen and Consumer Counsel Elin Swanson Katz have asked the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority to launch an investigation into the consolidation.
The basis for the investigation is a 2012 agreement between the state and CL&P parent Northeast Utilities approving NU’s $5 billion merger with Boston-based NStar. Among the stipulations in that agreement is that NU not lay off a disproportionate amount of Connecticut workers post-merger and that the utility company be adequately prepared to respond to large-scale power outages. NU and NStar, along with CL&P, also have since been rebranded as Eversource Energy.
Even thought PURA ruled in the utility’s favor over the 2013 closures, Jepsen and Swanson Katz again are asking for a review, specifically on details of why the closures are needed, whether they impact CL&P’s storm readiness, and that Connecticut employees aren’t been unduly impacted by the closures.
