The Public Utilities Regulatory Authority plans to issue a final decision on the proposed sale of Aquarion Water Co. to a newly created nonprofit entity in November. A proposed final decision in the $2.4 billion sale from Eversource Energy to the Aquarion Water Authority was originally expected Oct. 22. However, on that same day, PURA […]
The Public Utilities Regulatory Authority plans to issue a final decision on the proposed sale of Aquarion Water Co. to a newly created nonprofit entity in November.
A proposed final decision in the $2.4 billion sale from Eversource Energy to the Aquarion Water Authority was originally expected Oct. 22. However, on that same day, PURA quietly amended its docket schedule, removing the proposed final decision from the schedule, leaving Nov. 19 as the date that the final decision will be released.
The change comes amid major leadership changes at the agency. On Tuesday, Gov. Ned Lamont
appointed four new commissioners — effectively resetting the five-member panel — and named Ronald Wiehl, an engineer and longtime PURA staffer, as the new chair.
The appointments followed the
resignation of former chair Marissa Gillett earlier this month after five years in the post.
The Aquarion case has become a flashpoint for state and local officials, utilities and consumer advocates. Eversource, which acquired Aquarion in 2017, announced in January that it would sell the Bridgeport-based water utility to the nonprofit, quasi-public Aquarion Water Authority.
The authority was created through legislative changes to the South Central Connecticut Regional Water Authority’s charter, allowing it to acquire Aquarion and operate alongside its parent organization.
Supporters of the sale, including Eversource and the South Central Regional Water Authority, argue the deal will lower financing costs and stabilize rates by converting Aquarion into a nonprofit structure.
Opponents — including more than two dozen municipalities, the state Office of the Attorney General, the Department of Public Health and environmental group Save the Sound —
warn the move could eliminate local tax revenues, saddle ratepayers with debt and reduce regulatory oversight.
An evidentiary hearing concluded this summer, and a decision by PURA will determine whether the deal proceeds. Eversource has said it hopes to complete the deal by late 2025.
