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General Assembly Substitute Bill No. 5356
February Session, 2024
AN ACT CONCERNING MODIFICATIONS TO THE RENEWABLE
PORTFOLIO STANDARD.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
Assembly convened:
Section 1. Subdivision (20) of subsection (a) of section 16-1 of the 2024 1
supplement to the general statutes is repealed and the following is 2
substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 1, 2024): 3
(20) "Class I renewable energy source" means (A) electricity derived 4
from (i) solar power, (ii) wind power, (iii) a fuel cell, including a fuel cell 5
power plant, as defined in 26 USC 48(c)(1)(C), (iv) geothermal, (v) 6
landfill methane gas, anaerobic digestion or other biogas derived from 7
biological sources, (vi) thermal electric direct energy conversion from a 8
certified Class I renewable energy source, (vii) ocean thermal power, 9
(viii) wave or tidal power, (ix) low emission advanced renewable energy 10
conversion technologies, including, but not limited to, zero emission 11
low grade heat power generation systems based on organic oil free 12
rankine, kalina or other similar nonsteam cycles that use waste heat 13
from an industrial or commercial process that does not generate 14
electricity, (x) [(I) a run-of-the-river] hydropower, [facility that began 15
operation after July 1, 2003, has a generating capacity of not more than 16
sixty megawatts, is not based on a new dam or a dam identified by the 17
Commissioner of Energy and Environmental Protection as a candidate 18
for removal, and meets applicable state and federal requirements, 19 Substitute Bill No. 5356
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including state dam safety requirements and applicable site-specific 20
standards for water quality and fish passage, or (II) a run-of-the-river 21
hydropower facility that received a new license after January 1, 2018, 22
under the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission rules pursuant to 18 23
CFR 16, as amended from time to time, is not based on a new dam or a 24
dam identified by the Commissioner of Energy and Environmental 25
Protection as a candidate for removal, and meets applicable state and 26
federal requirements, including state dam safety requirements and 27
applicable site-specific standards for water quality and fish passage,] 28
(xi) a biomass facility that uses sustainable biomass fuel and has an 29
average emission rate of equal to or less than .075 pounds of nitrogen 30
oxides per million BTU of heat input for the previous calendar quarter, 31
except that energy derived from a biomass facility with a capacity of less 32
than five hundred kilowatts that began construction before July 1, 2003, 33
may be considered a Class I renewable energy source, or (xii) a nuclear 34
power generating facility, [constructed on or after October 1, 2023,] or 35
(B) any electrical generation, including distributed generation, 36
generated from a Class I renewable energy source, provided, on and 37
after January 1, 2014, any megawatt hours of electricity from a 38
renewable energy source described under this subparagraph that are 39
claimed or counted by a load-serving entity, province or state toward 40
compliance with renewable portfolio standards or renewable energy 41
policy goals in another province or state, other than the state of 42
Connecticut, shall not be eligible for compliance with the renewable 43
portfolio standards established pursuant to section 16-245a; 44
Sec. 2. Subsection (a) of section 16-243q of the general statutes is 45
repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 46
1, 2024): 47
(a) On and after January 1, 2007, each electric distribution company 48
providing standard service pursuant to section 16-244c and each electric 49
supplier, as defined in section 16-1, as amended by this act, shall 50
demonstrate to the satisfaction of the Public Utilities Regulatory 51
Authority that not less than one per cent of the total output of such 52
supplier or such standard service of an electric distribution company 53 Substitute Bill No. 5356
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shall be obtained from Class III sources. On and after January 1, 2008, 54
not less than two per cent of the total output of any such supplier or 55
such standard service of an electric distribution company shall, on 56
demonstration satisfactory to the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority, 57
be obtained from Class III sources. On or after January 1, 2009, not less 58
than three per cent of the total output of any such supplier or such 59
standard service of an electric distribution company shall, on 60
demonstration satisfactory to the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority, 61
be obtained from Class III sources. On and after January 1, 2010, not less 62
than four per cent of the total output of any such supplier or such 63
standard service of an electric distribution company shall, on 64
demonstration satisfactory to the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority, 65
be obtained from Class III sources. On and after January 1, 2022, [until 66
December 31, 2024,] not less than five per cent of the total output of any 67
such supplier or such standard service of an electric distribution 68
company shall, on demonstration satisfactory to the Public Utilities 69
Regulatory Authority, be obtained from Class III sources. Electric power 70
obtained from customer-side distributed resources that does not meet 71
air and water quality standards of the Department of Energy and 72
Environmental Protection is not eligible for purposes of meeting the 73
percentage standards in this section. 74
Sec. 3. (Effective from passage) The Commissioner of Energy and 75
Environmental Protection shall study natural gas capacity in the state. 76
Such study shall include, but need not be limited to: (1) An evaluation 77
of natural gas capacity in the state; and (2) an examination of ways to 78
expand natural gas capacity, including any necessary regulatory or 79
legislative changes. Not later than January 1, 2025, the commissioner 80
shall report, in accordance with the provisions of section 11-4a of the 81
general statutes, the results of the study, including any 82
recommendations, to the joint standing committee of the General 83
Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to energy and 84
technology. 85 Substitute Bill No. 5356
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This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following
sections:
Section 1 October 1, 2024 16-1(a)(20)
Sec. 2 October 1, 2024 16-243q(a)
Sec. 3 from passage New section
ET Joint Favorable Subst.