HARTFORD, CT — Connecticut has joined eight other states in a landmark strategic agreement to overhaul electric transmission planning in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic, aiming to cut energy costs, modernize outdated infrastructure, and fast-track clean energy adoption.
Announced Monday by the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP), the multistate plan outlines coordinated steps to strengthen power delivery systems across New England, New York, and portions of the Mid-Atlantic.
The initiative, described as the first of its kind, was developed through the Northeast States Collaborative on Interregional Transmission, a partnership launched in 2023 following a joint request to the U.S. Department of Energy.
“Working together is essential to building a more affordable and reliable power grid that meets Connecticut’s energy, economic, and environmental needs,” said DEEP Commissioner Katie Dykes.
“Through this first-of-its-kind strategic action plan, we are partnering with other Northeast and Mid-Atlantic states to advance transmission solutions. This work will help us bring online cleaner, more efficient, and more affordable power supply alternatives for our state and region.”
The plan sets both near-term and mid-range priorities for improving the region’s electric grid.
In the short term, participating states will issue a request for information aimed at identifying transmission projects that relieve grid congestion, enhance reliability, and lower consumer energy bills.
At the same time, efforts are underway to standardize high-cost equipment — such as high-voltage direct current (HVDC) systems — to streamline implementation and reduce total project costs.
Longer-term objectives include pushing for regulatory reforms at the federal level, coordinating regional procurement strategies, and developing a framework to equitably share the costs and benefits of large-scale transmission investments.
The nine-state collaborative includes Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, and Vermont. Collectively, they span three of the country’s major power grid operators: ISO New England, the New York Independent System Operator (NYISO), and PJM Interconnection.
The patchwork of systems has long suffered from poor coordination, leading to inefficiencies, higher costs, and missed opportunities to deliver renewable energy across state lines.
The Memorandum of Understanding signed last summer by all participating states formalized the structure of the collaboration.
The plan comes as Connecticut and its neighbors race to prepare for a wave of clean energy development, particularly offshore wind farms slated for construction over the next decade. Officials say that without strong transmission links, much of that power could be stranded or lost to bottlenecks.
Better interregional connections would allow clean energy to flow more freely, especially during peak demand periods or weather emergencies, when fossil-fueled peaker plants are often called in as expensive stopgaps.
Improved grid coordination would also allow Connecticut to import more competitively priced renewable energy, easing the strain on local resources and cutting ratepayer costs over time.
Massachusetts Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Rebecca Tepper called the new plan a “critical step” that will benefit residents and businesses alike.
The announcement comes as Connecticut lawmakers continue to debate Senate Bill 1560, a proposal that would overhaul how the state funds and manages energy procurement.
SB1560 includes language to create a new Connecticut Energy Procurement Authority and eliminate the public benefits charge currently included in electric bills, replacing it with revenue from green bond funding.
As clean energy projects continue to scale up across the Northeast, Connecticut officials say cross-border coordination will be essential to make those investments count.
