R.I. regulators OK plan to buy power from Conn. solar project

WARWICK (AP) – A contract with all three Rhode Island electric utilities to purchase power from a Connecticut solar project has received state regulatory approval.

The Public Utilities Commission unanimously approved a 20-year agreement to purchase power from D.E. Shaw Renewable Investments at 5.3 cents per kilowatt-hour for energy and environmental benefits.

The 50-megawatt project known as Gravel Pit Solar will be built on former industrial land in Connecticut, the Providence Journal reported.

National Grid, Rhode Island’s dominant electric utility, will partner with Pascoag Utility District, in Burrillville, and the Block Island Utility District to share energy from the project with all electric customers.

- Advertisement -

The Rhode Island commission deemed the contract “commercially reasonable,” and concluded that the bundled price of power and renewable energy certificates was below market price.