Connecticut bill allows nuclear plant to enter zero-carbon auction

Connecticut Gov. Dannel Malloy recently signed a bill that allows Dominion Energy’s Millstone Power Station to bid into markets with other zero-carbon energy sources, following similar actions from New York and Illinois.

“By opening the door to Millstone having equal access to auctions open to other non-emitting sources of electricity, the state will help preserve $1.5 billion in economic activity, grid resiliency, and reliability, and clean air that all residents of the state can enjoy,” NEI President and CEO Maria Korsnick.

The two Millstone reactors, NEI said, provide 98 percent of Connecticut’s emissions-free electricity and avoid 8.3 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions annually. The plant supports 7,300 jobs and produces an average annual economic benefit of approximately $1.3 billion.

Pennsylvania and Ohio also recently took actions to support nuclear energy, NEI noted.

Ohio Senate’s Public Utilities Committee held the first hearing in a series on a revised Clean Jobs bill, a zero-emissions nuclear resource (ZEN) program similar to the policies passed in Illinois and New York last year.

The Pennsylvania General Assembly passed two resolutions in the House and Senate that encourage the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to enact market reforms that support baseload electricity generation.

“Connecticut is the third state to rebalance its electricity marketplace, joining New York and Illinois, which took their own legislative paths to preserving nuclear power plants in 2016. Now attention should turn to Columbus, where leaders in Ohio are considering another legislative remedy to keep nuclear plants operating and the communities they call home thriving,” Korsnick said, adding that FERC should respect these state policies as it considers the Department of Energy’s directive to develop and implement reforms that compensate resources for resiliency and reliability attributes.