August 8, 2024
SENATOR MARX JOINS STATE, FEDERAL LEADERS AT STATE PIER TO LAUD $389 MILLION GRANT SUPPORTING NEW ENGLAND POWER GRID
Under a backdrop of wind turbines under construction at New London’s State Pier, State Senator Martha Marx (D-New London) on Wednesday joined state leaders including U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal, State Senator and Senate Chair of the Energy & Technology Committee Norm Needleman (D-Essex), Department of Energy and Environmental Protection Commissioner Katie Dykes, State Representative Anthony Nolan (D-New London) and Connecticut Port Authority Interim Executive Director Ulysses Hammond to celebrate the U.S. Department of Energy’s announcement of a $389 million federal grant to support “Power Up New England.”
The hundreds of millions of dollars in federal grant funding for “Power Up New England” will fund new and upgraded transmission points in Southeast Massachusetts and Connecticut to support up to 4,800 megawatts of offshore wind and energy storage systems in Connecticut and Maine. In addition to supplying the entire region with increased access to clean energy, the project seeks to improve the resilience of Connecticut’s grid and pursue alternative forms of energy generation that will benefit the state.
The work in question off the coast of southeast Connecticut will further benefit construction jobs in the region, further supporting efforts at State Pier to improve renewable energy generation.
“This announcement of hundreds of millions to support clean energy and improve the electric grid regionwide is a great step forward for clean energy, grid stability and our economy,” said Sen. Marx. “It represents employment on the coast, increased access to clean energy and, hopefully, a lower burden of cost for energy generation in years to come. I’m excited to see the next steps.”
“Power Up New England” will serve to support several facets of Connecticut and New England’s grid, with focus on improving grid resilience, increasing energy generation, greater diversity of resources in power creation and increased reliability, lowering consumer costs and reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the process.
The program receiving funding will also create high-quality jobs and workforce development and training opportunities, including the development of a new institute for clean energy at UConn.
Caption: Senator Marx, second from right, stands with, from left, Ulysses Hammond, Senator Needleman and Senator Blumenthal in New London Thursday. |
