United Illuminating

The Public Utilities Regulatory Authority is expected to reject a rate hike proposal from United Illuminating on Friday, with the support of Connecticut Attorney General William Tong and other state lawmakers.

Connecticut Attorney General William Tong called on the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority to exercise more control over United Illuminating. The power company has proposed rate hikes as high as 8%, and failed to clean environmental toxins from a former power plant in New Haven.

Some Connecticut lawmakers are opposed to an 8% rate hike over the next three years requested by United Illuminating, the state’s second largest electric utility.

A conservation group in Fairfield, Connecticut is raising concerns about the environmental impact of United Illuminating’s plan to upgrade power lines on the border of Fairfield and Bridgeport.

Connecticut officials have reached a deal with the state’s two largest electric utilities, Eversource and United Illuminating, to provide some short-term relief to electricity customers this winter.

The delay in creating different electric rates for lower-income Eversource and United Illuminating customers in Connecticut is raising concerns among lawmakers.

The state Public Utilities Regulatory Authority also told the electricity providers, along with their affiliated natural gas companies, that shut-offs cannot begin until May 2023.

United Illuminating filed a notice with PURA — the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority — that it will seek a three-year rate increase for customers.

The state's two largest utilities, Eversource and Avangrid, the parent company of United Illuminating, developed a new flexible payment plan to replace a COVID-19 pandemic plan that ended last month. It's for commercial customers and took effect on July 1.

The Connecticut Public Utilities Regulatory Authority is investigating the collection practices of Eversource and Avangrid to determine if lawsuits against customers violated their orders. The companies deny wrongdoing, saying any litigation started before the pandemic.