{"data":{"id":"us-ct/conn.-gen.-stat.-16-50mm","jurisdiction":"us-ct","citation":"Conn. Gen. Stat. § 16-50mm","heading":"Advanced conductors and grid-enhancing technology in proposed projects. Reports.","body":"(a) As used in this section and section 16-19iii:\n(1) “Advanced conductor” means any conductor material, design or technology that (A) improves the electrical performance of electrical conductors in comparison to traditional aluminum-conductor steel-reinforced cable, and (B) optimizes attributes such as current-carrying capacity, thermal performance, weight, sag, durability, corrosion resistance and efficiency, using materials such as high-conductivity alloys and conductor designs such as trapezoidal designs;\n(2) “Advanced power flow control” means any hardware or software technologies used to push or pull electric power in a manner that balances electric lines that are either exceeding capacity or are underutilized within the distribution or transmission system;\n(3) “Commissioner” means the Commissioner of Energy and Environmental Protection;\n(4) “Dynamic line rating” means any hardware or software technologies used to update the calculated thermal limits of existing distribution or transmission lines in the state based on real-time and forecasted weather conditions;\n(5) “Electric distribution company” and “regional independent system operator” have the same meanings as provided in section 16-1;\n(6) “Grid-enhancing technology” means any hardware or software technology that increases the capacity of, or enables enhanced or more efficient performance from, the electric distribution or transmission system in the state, including, but not limited to, dynamic line rating, advanced power flow control, topology optimization and energy storage when used as a distribution or transmission resource;\n(7) “Transmission owner” means any person or entity that owns, operates and maintains, or seeks to construct, an electric transmission facility in the state and that is not an electric distribution company;\n(8) “Materially modify” means any construction activity relating to a facility described in subdivision (1) or (4) of subsection (a) of section 16-50i with an estimated cost of not less than twenty-five million dollars. “Materially modify” does not include construction activities related to an emergency condition that causes a disruption of power or other unplanned loss of an essential transmission asset function that requires immediate rectification;\n(9) “Nontransmission alternative” means an electric grid investment or project that uses nontraditional transmission and distribution solutions, including, but not limited to, distributed generation, energy storage, energy efficiency demand response and grid software and controls, to defer or replace the need for specific equipment upgrades, such as transmission and distribution lines or transformers, by reducing electric load at a substation or circuit level; and\n(10) “Topology optimization” means any hardware or software technology that identifies reconfigurations of the distribution or transmission grid in the state to enable the routing of power flows around congested or overloaded elements of the electric grid.\n(b) (1) Any electric distribution company or transmission owner that seeks to construct or materially modify any facility described in subdivision (1) or (4) of subsection (a) of section 16-50i shall, in addition to the primary proposed project for such construction or material modification, develop at least one project alternative to such construction or modification that (A) utilizes an advanced conductor unless the primary proposed project incorporates an advanced conductor, and (B) utilizes grid-enhancing technology or nontransmission alternative technology, applicable in whole or in part, to such construction or material modification.\n(2) Such company or owner shall submit each project alternative required under subdivision (1) of this subsection with any application or petition submitted by such company or owner to the Connecticut Siting Council concerning such construction or material modification. If any such project alternative is not preferred by such company or owner, such company or owner shall provide a detailed, written explanation comparing the cost-effectiveness and appropriateness of the project alternative with such project preferred by such company or owner and submit such explanation with such application.\n(3) If any project alternative submitted pursuant to this subsection proposes to utilize any advanced conductor, grid-enhancing technology or nontransmission alternative, and such project alternative (A) is not less cost effective than the project preferred by such company or owner, (B) provides the same or increased electric system reliability benefits to solve the identified need in comparison to such preferred project, and (C) has similar environmental and community impacts as such preferred project, as determined by the Connecticut Siting Council, the council shall give preference to such project alternative when determining whether to approve such preferred project or project alternative.\n(4) An electric distribution company may seek a waiver of the requirements of subdivision (1) of subsection (b) of this section, in whole or in part, if (A) the use of advanced conductors, grid-enhancing technologies or nontransmission alternative technologies in a project to construct or materially modify any facility described in subdivision (1) or (4) of subsection (a) of section 16-50i is impossible or impracticable to solve an identified need, (B) such proposed project is subject to a regional transmission planning or review process approved by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission that adequately considers the implementation of such conductors or technologies, or (C) a project has been evaluated by the commissioner and the Office of Consumer Counsel pursuant to subsection (d) of this section. To obtain such waiver, such company shall submit a waiver application to the commissioner in a form and manner prescribed by the commissioner. Such waiver application shall specify the conditions that satisfy the requirements of subparagraph (A), (B) or (C) of this subdivision. The commissioner, after consultation with the Office of Consumer Counsel, may waive the requirement to submit such alternative or alternatives pursuant to subdivision (1) of subsection (b) of this section to the Connecticut Siting Council. The commissioner shall accept or deny a waiver application submitted pursuant to this subdivision not more than sixty days after receipt. Any such application not accepted or rejected by the commissioner within said sixty-day period shall be deemed granted.\n(5) An electric distribution company may request, and the commissioner may grant, a revocable general waiver of the requirements of this subsection for any projects subject to a regional transmission planning or review process approved by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission that adequately considers advanced conductors, grid-enhancing technologies or nontransmission alternative technologies. The commissioner shall accept or deny a waiver application submitted pursuant to this subdivision not more than sixty days after receipt.\n(c) Each electric distribution company and transmission owner shall include in the annual report required by subsection (a) of section 16-50r: (1) A schedule of any planned construction or material modification of any facility described in subdivision (1) or (4) of subsection (a) of section 16-50i for the next ten years, including a description, as appropriate for the project's current development stage, and, to the extent available, of the need for and scope of the project, cost estimates, whether and how any advanced conductor, grid-enhancing technologies or nontransmission alternative technologies may be considered to address the identified need, and any other information reasonably requested by the commissioner or the Office of Consumer Counsel that pertains to the projects identified in the annual report, (2) data concerning any construction or material modification of any facility described in subdivision (1) or (4) of subsection (a) of section 16-50i placed in service by such company in the year preceding such report, including both final costs, to the extent available, and estimated costs of the project at each relevant design stage, (3) the original estimated in-service date of the facility, and (4) any other information reasonably requested by the commissioner or the Office of Consumer Counsel pertaining to projects disclosed in such report. For the first filing after October 1, 2025, each electric distribution company shall provide the information required by subdivision (2) of this subsection for any facility placed into service by such company or owner on or after January 1, 2022. To the extent any such information is unavailable, the electric distribution company shall notify the commissioner and the Office of Consumer Counsel and attempt to reach a resolution acceptable to each party concerning the request for information.\n(d) (1) Not more than one hundred eighty days after any annual filing required pursuant to subsection (c) of this section, the commissioner, in consultation with the Office of Consumer Counsel, shall determine and notify an electric distribution company whether any facility listed for construction or material modification requires further evaluation, considering factors including, but not limited to, (A) whether the proposed facility is subject to a transmission planning or review process of the regional independent system operator or a substantially similar process, (B) the age or condition of the underlying facility, (C) the scope and estimated cost of the proposed project, (D) whether the proposed project is responsive to needs identified through proactive transmission planning by the regional independent system operator, and (E) whether and how advanced conductors, grid-enhancing technologies and nontransmission alternatives: (i) Are proposed to be utilized in the proposed project, (ii) can reduce environmental or aesthetic impacts, and (iii) can feasibly solve the underlying need identified by the electric distribution company in part or in whole. Prior to determining that a project to construct or materially modify a facility requires further evaluation pursuant to this subdivision, the commissioner and Office of Consumer Counsel shall provide the electric distribution company with the opportunity to provide evidence that such project requires no further evaluation pursuant to this subdivision.\n(2) If an evaluation is conducted pursuant to subdivision (1) of this subsection, upon notice to the electric distribution company, the commissioner and the Office of Consumer Counsel shall evaluate a proposed project based upon factors including: (A) The reasonableness of the need identified by the electric distribution company justifying the proposed facility; (B) the reasonableness of the proposed scope of the project, including the timing of the proposed investments; (C) whether the electric distribution company's proposed solution is the most cost-effective solution to the identified need or whether alternative solutions, including advanced conductors, grid-enhancing technologies or nontransmission alternatives, exist that could more cost-effectively provide the same or increased electric system reliability benefits to resolve the identified need in whole or in part; (D) the costs of the proposed project and any potential alternatives identified as part of the evaluation; (E) whether cost-effective opportunities exist for the proposed project to be modified to account for future demand growth or other variables that could mitigate the need for the electric distribution company to conduct construction activities on the same facility prior to the end of the useful life; and (F) any other factors that the commissioner or the Office of Consumer Counsel reasonably determine are necessary to evaluate for a specific project.\n(3) Not less than twice per year, the commissioner and the Office of Consumer Counsel shall meet with each electric distribution company to discuss and receive input on any facilities that are currently under evaluation pursuant to this section.\n(4) (A) The commissioner and the Office of Consumer Counsel shall jointly prepare a report detailing the factors for evaluation listed in subdivision (2) of this subsection.\n(B) Any evaluation by the department or the Office of Consumer Counsel and any draft report resulting from that evaluation must be completed and shared with the electric distribution companies not later than ninety days prior to an electric distribution company's filing of an application or petition before the Connecticut Siting Council; provided, however, that the electric distribution company informs the department and the Office of Consumer Counsel of the anticipated filing date not less than twelve months in advance of such filing date.\n(C) The commissioner shall file any final report developed pursuant to this subsection in the relevant proceeding of the Connecticut Siting Council concerning the proposed project. The Connecticut Siting Council shall give appropriate consideration to such report in making its determination on the proposed project.\n(5) An electric distribution company may request, and the commissioner may grant, a revocable general waiver of the requirements of this subsection for any projects subject to a regional transmission planning or review process approved by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. The commissioner shall accept or deny a waiver application submitted pursuant to this subdivision not more than sixty days after receipt.\n(e) Each electric distribution company or transmission owner shall provide data, communications and information requested by the commissioner or the Office of Consumer Counsel in connection with any evaluation pursuant to this section, subject to enforcement under section 22a-6. Responses to any such requests shall be shared with both the department and the Office of Consumer Counsel.\n(f) Beginning on January 1, 2027, and every five years thereafter, each electric distribution company and transmission owner shall file a report concerning their compliance with the provisions of this section with the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority. The authority shall transmit a copy of each such report to the regional independent system operator, as defined in section 16-1, and, in accordance with the provisions of section 11-4a, the joint standing committee of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to energy and technology.\n(g) Any proprietary commercial or proprietary financial information of an electric distribution company or transmission owner provided pursuant to this section shall be confidential and protected by the commissioner and the Office of Consumer Counsel and be exempt from public disclosure pursuant to subsection (b) of section 1-210.","path":["TITLE 16. PUBLIC SERVICE COMPANIES","CHAPTER 277a. PUBLIC UTILITY ENVIRONMENTAL STANDARDS ACT"],"source_url":"https://www.cga.ct.gov/2026/sup/chap_277a.htm#sec_16-50mm","current_through":"Revised to January 1, 2026 (2026 Supplement to the General Statutes of Connecticut, applied over the base revision of January 1, 2025)","vintage":"","retrieved_at":"2026-09-06T19:07:22Z","sha256":"b5b484c083f5edbe43e224c6a5ba15590dd58f15d85e806001e41e8ca12edd7e","source_id":"us-ct","stale":false,"prev":"us-ct/conn.-gen.-stat.-16-50mm-to-16-50zz","next":"us-ct/conn.-gen.-stat.-16-50aaa"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}