PURA hears oral arguments on IES cycle 1; commissioners set July decision and technical meeting

Jan Beecher, a commissioner at the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority and presiding officer in docket 22-08-07, opened a May 6 virtual oral‑argument session on the Innovative Energy Solutions (IES) cycle‑1 proposed final decision and asked participants to identify themselves for the official transcript.

Julia Domaine, co‑chair of the Innovation Advisory Council and non‑decisional PURA staff, told commissioners the IAC supports the IES program’s aim to test novel technologies but urged clearer application of the phase‑4 evaluation framework. “The IAC’s written exceptions are primarily focused on providing recommendations that help promote clarity for program participants, optimize outcomes for ratepayers, and ensure adherence to the program goals and design,” Domaine said.

Representatives from the Connecticut Green Bank and Connecticut Innovations echoed that message, urging steps to capture pilot learnings and carry them into utility programs and regulatory proceedings. Sarah Harari, director of innovation at the Connecticut Green Bank, said the program should yield “structured real‑world pilots” that both identify technologies ready to scale and extract value from those that do not.

Eversource said it had subject‑matter experts available to answer questions but did not intend to restate written exceptions. Mark Lisonbee, an Eversource regulatory planning manager, said the company has been “in communication with AMP UP” and will wait for the final decision before committing to next steps.

Commissioners pressed participants on concrete mechanisms: whether PURA should open a separate program‑review docket, how to direct utilities to propose scale‑up pathways, and which dockets (for example, the EV managed‑charging docket) might be appropriate homes for scaled proposals.

Beecher closed the session with a schedule: a first decision is tentatively set for July 1 addressing AMP UP, EDO, Piccolo and Kraken; a technical meeting on remaining projects is planned for July 16; a proposed final decision on those projects is tentatively scheduled for Aug. 21 and a final decision on Oct. 14. The authority adjourned after the argument session.

The proceeding produced no formal vote at this session; commissioners said they will take the oral arguments into account when issuing final decisions.