As the six New England states negotiate how to best accommodate the region’s energy needs – including Connecticut’s natural gas expansion – Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey will conduct a study of the natural gas demand and ways to meet it through 2030.
Decisions in Massachusetts and other New England states could have great significance on Connecticut’s energy policies and realities, as the installation of pipelines to bring more natural gas to the region require multi-state agreements. Connecticut Gov. Dannel P. Malloy has pushed for the state’s natural gas utilities to add nearly 280,000 new customers while natural gas typically fuels half of the region’s electricity generation.
Healey has made moves to slow the approval of natural gas pipelines in Massachusetts, urging the Department of Public Utilities to study capacity needs before approving any pipelines and asking DPU to prevent natural gas utilities from entering into contracts with pipeline companies, a request DPU denied.
Healey’s study is funded by Boston nonprofit Barr Foundation and will be conducted by Boston economic consulting firm Analysis Group. It will evaluate all the region’s options to meet reliability needs – including natural gas, oil, hydro imports, energy efficiency and renewables – and provide a cost and environmental analysis of each.
