A deal between Dominion Energy and the state’s two electric utilities will keep the Millstone nuclear facility in Waterford operating for another decade, according to the governor’s office. The agreement is pending review by the Connecticut Public Utilities Regulatory Authority.
The facility has 1,500 employees.
Governor Ned Lamont said in a statement Monday morning that Dominion and the electric utilities reached an agreement last month to keep the facility open for another decade and the shutdown of the plant would “have exposed the New England region to a nearly 25 percent increase in carbon emissions, increased risk of rolling blackouts, billions of dollars in power replacement costs, and the loss of more than 1,500 well-paying jobs …”
Millstone is Waterford’s top employer and taxpayer and $29.7 million in local taxes, according to the governor’s office.
“The premature loss of Millstone would have been awful for our state and region, spiking energy prices, reversing our progress on cutting carbon emissions, and endangering the reliability of the grid,” Lamont said in a statement. “I want to thank the utilities for coming to the table to advance a better deal for Millstone’s power, cutting in half the incremental cost to Connecticut ratepayers of keeping the plant open for the next decade.”
