Connecticut Attorney General George Jepsen has asked state regulators to penalize the state's largest utility, which is seeking $414 million in higher rates from customers to pay for damage caused by five storms.
Jepsen accused Connecticut Light & Power on Tuesday of impeding efforts by the state Public Utilities Regulatory Authority to fully investigate power restoration after the October 2011 nor'easter that left hundreds of thousands of customers without electricity for as long as 11 days. His request does not specify how much the utility should be penalized.
“As the restoration from the October Nor’easter proceeded, CL&P committed to the Governor, municipal officials and its customers that it would restore 99 percent of all homes and businesses in each town it served by midnight on Nov. 6,” Jepsen said in a statement. “The documents produced are relevant to whether the Nov. 6 restoration projection was reasonable and whether CL&P knew that estimate was attainable.”
Jepsen said CL&P failed to disclose documents in a timely manner that showed it was unable to keep a promise to restore power to 99 percent of its customers by a particular date.
CL&P issued a written statement:
"Connecticut has a thorough regulatory process and the Attorney General's filing is part of that, however, we disagree with his position. All of the information in the AG's filing refers to the 2011 storms, which CL&P voluntarily provided to his office. We will address these claims during the course of this proceeding. It is important to note that CL&P worked tirelessly with PURA during its investigation into the 2011 storms while at the same time implementing recommended changes. We believe we have strengthened our storm response since then and remain committed to responding safely and quickly to future storms."
The entire Jepsen petition to PURA is posted online.
Photo Credit: NBC Connecticut