Large-scale hydro is one stroke of the governor’s pen away from becoming renewable power in Connecticut.
The state Senate on Tuesday passed a modified version of Senate Bill 1138, changing the state’s definition of renewable energy to include large-scale hydro imported from Canada. With the House of Representatives giving its consent in April, all the bill needs is Gov. Dannel P. Malloy’s signature to become law.
Malloy, who first proposed the hydro inclusion in his comprehensive energy strategy in October, hailed the passage of the bill, likely leading to him signing the legislation in the coming days. The bill expands the definition of renewable energy beyond wind, solar, and fuel cells, but still calls for 20 percent of the state’s electricity to come from renewable sources by 2020.
“The move toward more renewable energy is a critical part of our overall effort to provide cleaner, cheaper and more reliable energy to residents and businesses,” Malloy said after the bill passed the Senate. “By moving from dirtier, out-of-state bio-mass to cleaner hydropower, we will both improve air quality throughout New England and lower costs for consumers.”
Malloy and the state Department of Energy & Environmental Protection developed the measure to keep electricity costs low while focusing on sources of power that emit few greenhouse gases. The bill also deals with problems with the current standards where 89 percent of Connecticut’s renewable power is purchased from out of state and 87 percent comes from biomass plants and landfill gas.
