The Public Utilities Regulatory Authority (PURA) has rejected Eversource Energy’s request for an expedited review of its proposed $2.4 billion sale of Aquarion Water Co., instead setting a March 25 deadline for a final decision, after a Superior Court judge remanded the case back to the state utility regulator.
Eversource is seeking to sell its water subsidiary to Aquarion Water Authority (AWA), a newly created nonprofit quasi-public entity that would share resources with the South Central Connecticut Regional Water Authority (RWA) in New Haven.
Eversource, along with AWA and RWA, asked PURA to issue a final decision by Feb. 18.
In a decision last week, PURA modified its proposed timeline, citing preexisting commitments by commissioners and staff and “constraints on (PURA) resources due to substantial concurrent proceedings.”
PURA will issue a proposed final decision March 6, accept written exceptions through March 11, hear oral arguments March 16 and issue a final decision March 25.
Attorney General William Tong opposed the utilities’ request for an accelerated schedule in a Jan. 23 letter, arguing the court “chose to leave that up to the (PURA’s) discretion.”
The Office of Consumer Counsel (OCC) also objected to the compressed timeline, warning it would prevent thorough review of a deal affecting hundreds of thousands of Aquarion customers.
“Given the grave results that ratepayers would experience and the complex policy considerations at play, this is no time for needless haste,” OCC wrote in its Jan. 23 opposition letter.
PURA’s schedule calls for parties to file briefs by Feb. 17 and reply to briefs by Feb. 27 addressing five legal questions, including the scope of the remand and the definition of “public interest” under state law.
Tong, in his Jan. 23 letter, informed PURA that it is “entitled to examine, and should examine, issues such as the negative financial impacts of the transaction on consumers.”
New Britain Superior Court Judge Matthew Budzik remanded the case to PURA on Jan. 15 after finding that PURA illegally denied the sale based on governance provisions mandated by the state legislature. However, Budzik left intact PURA’s concerns about the proposed Office of Consumer Affairs and did not order approval of the transaction.
PURA unanimously denied the application Nov. 19, 2025, citing concerns about conflicting fiduciary duties on RWA and AWA’s shared 11-member board, weighted voting rules and an insufficiently independent consumer advocate.
Meantime, four Fairfield County towns and two regional planning groups appealed Budzik’s remand order to the state Appellate Court on Feb. 5. The utilities filed a motion to dismiss that appeal Feb. 6, arguing the remand is not a final judgment that can be appealed.
Aquarion serves about 695,000 customers in 57 Connecticut municipalities.
