Conn. Gen. Stat. § 16a-14g: Thermal energy network grant and loan program.

(a) As used in this section:

(1) “Gas company”, “electric distribution company” and “participating municipal electric utility” have the same meanings as provided in section 16-1;

(2) “Regional council of governments” means a regional council of governments organized under the provisions of sections 4-124i to 4-124p, inclusive;

(3) “Thermal energy” means heating, or heating and cooling, derived from (A) sources that do not emit greenhouse gases, or (B) geothermal energy; and

(4) “Thermal energy network” means all real estate, fixtures and personal property operated, owned and used or to be used for, or in connection with or to facilitate, a utility-scale distribution infrastructure project that supplies thermal energy in the form of piped noncombustible fluids used for transferring heat into and out of buildings for any type of heating and cooling process, including, but not limited to, comfort heating and cooling, domestic hot water and refrigeration.

(b) The Commissioner of Energy and Environmental Protection shall, within available appropriations, establish a thermal energy network grant and loan program to support the development of thermal energy network projects on the customer's side of the meter. The commissioner shall develop and issue a request for proposals from eligible recipients that shall include, but need not be limited to, any local or regional governmental entity, municipal corporation, regional council of governments, public authority, state and federally recognized tribe, electric distribution company, gas company, participating municipal electric utility, energy improvement district and nonprofit, academic and private entity seeking to develop a thermal energy network. Any such eligible recipient may collaborate with any other such eligible recipient in submitting such proposal.

(c) The commissioner may award grants or loans under the thermal energy network grant and loan program to any number of eligible recipients. Such grants and loans may provide: (1) Assistance with community planning that includes, but is not limited to, thermal energy network project feasibility, including benefit-cost analyses, (2) assistance to recipients for the cost of design, engineering services and infrastructure for any such thermal energy network project, or (3) nonfederal cost share for grant or loan applications for projects or programs that include thermal energy networks. The commissioner may establish any financing mechanism to provide or leverage additional funding to support the development of thermal energy network projects. To be eligible for the award of a grant or loan under this section, an eligible recipient shall demonstrate, to the satisfaction of the commissioner, that such recipient has adopted wage standards conforming with the requirements of section 31-53.

(d) Not later than January first, annually, for a period of three years after receiving a grant or loan under the thermal energy network grant and loan program, the recipient of such grant or loan shall submit a report to the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority, the Office of Consumer Counsel and the Commissioner of Energy and Environmental Protection and, in accordance with the provisions of section 11-4a, to the joint standing committee of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to energy and technology. Such report shall include information concerning the status of such recipient's thermal energy network project.