Emily Pomilio (202) 495-3041, emily.pomilio@sierraclub.org
Hartford, CT--The Connecticut Siting Council voted today to approve a draft order denying the siting of a proposed 550 MW natural gas power plant in Killingly, Connecticut. The Council found that plant is not needed for energy reliability in Connecticut or the broader New England region.
Today's vote comes on the heels of an auction by the grid operator in New England to procure electricity generation resources for the 2020 to 2021 time frame. The proposed Killingly facility participated in the auction but was not deemed to be necessary for grid reliability. Instead, energy efficiency resources and demand response were the only new resources to successfully clear the auction.The auction results provided further evidence that there is not a future for fossil fuels in New England as cleaner resources like renewables come online in order to comply with state renewable portfolio standards.
Following today's vote, the Council must issue its final decision on the siting of the Killingly facility no later than June 1, 2017.
In response, Martha Klein, Connecticut Volunteer Chapter Chair for the Sierra Club said the following:
“Today’s order is an important step in moving Connecticut beyond fossil fuels. As demand for new generation declines, this trend will only continue. We agree that Connecticut does not need new gas facilities like Killingly to keep the lights on. Connecticut’s future is in clean energy, which will protect our health and environment.”
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