Published April 28. 2021 6:45PM | Updated April 28. 2021 7:47PM
KEITH M. PHANEUF, The Connecticut Mirror
Eversource and United Illuminating failed to fully prepare for and respond to Tropical Storm Isaias last year, according to state utility regulators who reduced the companies’ ability to recoup costs.
The decision adopted unanimously by the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority also could lead to the imposition of civil penalties. PURA chairwoman Marissa P. Gillett said the authority will move immediately into the next phase of its proceedings and that action could happen as soon as next week.
And while the authority did not announce specific financial data, the utilities which can challenge this ruling in Superior Court stand to lose millions of dollars.
The Public Utilities Regulatory Authority Wednesday morning issued a ruling finding that both Eversource Energy and United Illuminating Co. failed to meet certain acceptable performance standards in their preparation for and handling of Tropic Storm Isaias, which last August left hundreds of thousands of Connecticut residents without power, some for days on end.
The decision which followed an eight-month investigation by PURA came down particularly hard on Eversource, stating that the utility failed to communicate critical information to customers and municipal officials during the storm and deployed inadequate resources in its wake, as electrified downed power lines went unrepaired and ratepayers soldiered on without electricity, turned to generators for power, or in some cases temporarily left their homes to stay elsewhere.
Financial penalties ordered for Eversource, UI for storm Isaias response ctmirror.org - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from ctmirror.org Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Eversource bore the brunt of the criticism. They found UI’s performance underwhelming but markedly better Author: Doug Stewart (FOX61) Updated: 4:25 PM EDT April 28, 2021
NEW BRITAIN, Conn. Connecticut’s Public Utilities Regulatory Authority issued a ruling Wednesday critical of the response by Eversource Energy and The United Illuminating in preparing for and responding to, Tropical Storm Isaias in 2020.
The agency also said their failure to respond appropriately created a significant risk to public safety.
PURA s ruling said each did not meet certain acceptable performance standards when it came to their actions before and after the storm.
The agency also ordered Eversource and UI to reduce their rates to reflect a downward adjustment of 0.90% and 0.15%, respectively, in their allowed rate of return on equity (ROE). This is meant to align the [companies’] management performance in future storm response efforts with their financ
Ryan Caron King / Connecticut Public
State regulators on Wednesday issued a final decision highly critical of how utility Eversource responded to Tropical Storm Isaias. The decision will reduce Eversource’s allowable profits from state ratepayers and could also pave the way for monetary fines announced as early as next week.
Isaias hit Connecticut last August and cut power to hundreds of thousands of customers with some restorations taking more than a week.
The three-member Public Utilities Regulatory Authority issued a final decision detailing how the state’s two major electric utilities, Eversource and United Illuminating, responded to the storm.
It concluded Eversource failed.