Ansonia one of 5 cities in state developing energy plans

Improved efficiency, reliability is goal   

  ANSONIA - The city of Ansonia has been working with the Connecticut Center for Advanced Technology and the U.S. Department of Energy to develop local energy assurance plans to reduce the impacts of energy supply disruptions at mission critical facilities.
    This effort was made possible by a two-year grant from the U.S. DOE and will address the need for adequate electric power for public services.
    The municipalities engaged in this DOE-supported effort include Windham, Ansonia, Bridgeport, Waterbury, and West Hartford. The planning efforts began in late 2010 and will be completed by late 2012.
    “We’re looking at everything including where is emergency generation needed, where do we get fuel, how do we get the fuel to where it’s needed, who’s going to run and maintain the assets,” Mayor James Della Volpe said. “This plan will position the city of Ansonia to operate more efficiently and with a higher level of reliability.”
    The municipal energy assurance plan will include the identification and assessment of critical facilities and their functions, energy requirements, and energy management options, including the use of distributed resources.
    The planning process will also encourage identification and development of community-supported solutions to enhance energy reliability.
    The overall intent of the process is to reduce the impact of energy supply disruptions that were experienced with Tropical Storm Irene and the fall nor’easter snow storm.
    “This project is of high public value and is consistent with state and federal energy policy objectives,” said Joel Rinebold, Director of Energy Initiatives at CCAT.
    “The project will also improve environmental performance and create jobs,” he said. “All municipalities in Connecticut should be engaged in a planning exercise similar to this project to help prioritize the investment and delivery of energy resources in the right places and at the right level.”


The above information was provided by Eileen Krugel, grants writer for the city of Ansonia.