UI Advances Energy Storage Pilot Projects in Bridgeport, New Haven, and North Haven
Microgrids to provide up to 16 hours of electricity reliability and resiliency to critical facilities
ORANGE, Conn. — January 11, 2024 — United Illuminating (UI), a subsidiary of Avangrid, Inc. (NYSE: AGR), today announced that the company secured regulatory approval from the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority (PURA) for three Battery Energy Storage System pilot projects in Bridgeport, New Haven, and North Haven. The three proposed projects are 1.5- to 2.5-Megawatt microgrids that would provide up to 16 hours of outage support to critical infrastructure and facilities, including elderly housing and emergency shelters.
“I am pleased that after 18 months of community engagement, project development, and presentations to PURA, we have the green light to move forward with all three of the energy storage system pilots our team proposed,” said Frank Reynolds, President & CEO of UI. “These battery storage systems help ensure that despite the risk of outages during increasingly severe storms, we can meet and exceed our most essential obligation: providing reliable, resilient power to all our customers as often as possible, particularly to those elderly and underserved communities who need it most. I am very proud of our team’s hard work in demonstrating the value of these pilot projects, and I hope they serve as a foundation that advances energy storage as a critical tool in Connecticut’s energy future.”
UI proposed the energy storage projects in accordance with Connecticut Public Act 22-55, which was signed into law in May 2022 and authorized electric distribution companies (EDCs) to build energy storage systems that enhance the reliability and resiliency of the electric grid. Subsequently, PURA opened Docket No. 22-06-05 to consider the EDCs’ proposals. UI submitted three pilot proposals for PURA’s consideration: a 2.3-Megawatt microgrid in Bridgeport, a 2.5-Megawatt microgrid in New Haven, and a 1.5-Megawatt microgrid in North Haven. In its decision, issued on December 20, 2023, PURA determined that all three UI projects, if built and operated as proposed, would provide reliability and resiliency to critical facilities in the community and provide value to ratepayers. UI will also seek federal funding to help advance the projects.
“As electric distribution companies grapple with the need to transition to clean energy while providing all our customers with the reliable electricity they expect and deserve, battery storage systems are a cornerstone to the solution,” said Joel Kopylec, Manager of Smart Grid Innovation Programs at Avangrid. “I look forward to continuing to work with PURA as we bring these project proposals to their design, construction, and completion phases for the benefit of our customers in Bridgeport, New Haven, and North Haven.”
The City of Bridgeport microgrid is projected to provide at least 12 hours of outage support to 282 metered customers in Cartright Towers, Cartright Condo Association, and Bridgeport Elderly Apartments. According to Bridgeport municipal officials, these three 9-story elderly housing facilities would be difficult to evacuate without elevator access in the event of an extended outage; as a result, the microgrid serves an important role in safety as well as resiliency. The microgrid is also expandable and can provide at least four hours of outage support to an additional 598 metered customers in a community that is considered underserved.
“We are extremely excited and grateful for UI’s commitment to ongoing, reliable power to our most vulnerable residents and the City of Bridgeport,” said Bridgeport Mayor Joe Ganim. “Battery storage technology is paramount to addressing grid resiliency and reliability in the face of climate change, especially during an emergency situation. I look forward to this pilot project being expanded across the city and state to support and provide continuity of services for our residents. As the impacts of climate change become more and more severe, projects like this become even more critical. With the impacts of these events even more pronounced on our vulnerable residents, focusing on providing continuous services is how we weather the storm. Resilient systems create resilient communities.”
The City of New Haven microgrid is projected to provide at least 16 hours of outage support to Hill Regional Career High School. This magnet high school is located within a Department of Energy Disadvantaged Community; during emergency situations, the school is transitioned to a critical facility that provides emergency shelter to the community. Thus, New Haven officials designated this facility a Top 10 Tier 1 priority for outage restoration, and accordingly, the microgrid acts as an essential resiliency measure for the city.
“When a winter storm, power outage or other emergency situation arises, we have to be ready to provide our residents with a safe and reliable place to be and to support them in that moment of crisis and need,” said New Haven Mayor Justin Elicker. “In New Haven, Hill Regional Career High School has long been an emergency shelter location when incidents of this nature occur and having a microgrid there will strengthen our ability to support our residents and provide these services uninterrupted. I want to thank UI and PURA for their partnership in advancing this critical resiliency measure for our residents and our city.”
In the Town of North Haven, the microgrid will provide at least four hours of outage mitigation support to Montowese Health & Rehabilitation, a facility for senior living care and rehabilitation services that town officials have identified as a Top 10 Tier 2 priority for outage restoration. Because Montowese also hosts a 66.6-kilowatt rooftop solar array, the microgrid will provide additional storage and capacity that amplifies the facility’s ability to extend energy duration in the event of an outage.
“We in North Haven are very pleased that UI and PURA are moving forward to install this new microgrid at Montowese, which will be an excellent tool for electricity reliability that will benefit some of our most vulnerable residents,” said North Haven First Selectman Mike Freda. “UI has been a key partner to our town for many years, and I look forward to continuing to work with their team as they keep the power flowing across North Haven and at Montowese in particular, thanks to this new storage solution.”
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