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sHB5472 / File No. 423 1
General Assembly File No. 423
February Session, 2026 Substitute House Bill No. 5472
House of Representatives, April 7, 2026
The Committee on Energy and Technology reported through
REP. STEINBERG of the 136th Dist., Chairperson of the
Committee on the part of the House, that the substitute bill
ought to pass.
AN ACT CONCERNING THE SAFETY OF ENERGY GENERATION
SOURCES AND ENERGY STORAGE SYSTEMS.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
Assembly convened:
Section 1. (NEW) (Effective October 1, 2026) (a) As used in this section: 1
(1) "Major incident" means any event at a facility described in 2
subdivision (3) of subsection (a) of section 16-50i of the general statutes 3
that (A) requires an emergency shutoff of electricity flowing to or from 4
such facility due to a hazardous condition at such facility, (B) requires 5
any local emergency services personnel to respond to the site of such 6
facility, or (C) causes injury requiring hospitalization to any person; and 7
(2) "Minor incident" means any unanticipated or unplanned 8
shutdown of a facility described in subdivision (3) of subsection (a) of 9
section 16 -50i of the general statutes that does not require any local 10
emergency services personnel to respond to the site of such facility. 11
"Minor incident" does not include the shutdown of such facility in 12
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connection with scheduled or routine maintenance. 13
(b) Any person who receives a certificate from the Connecticut Siting 14
Council to operate a facility described in subdivision (3) of subsection 15
(a) of section 16 -50i of the general statutes shall report any major 16
incident or minor incident at such facility in a form and manner 17
prescribed by the council. Any major incident shall be reported not later 18
than five days after the occurrence of such incident, and any minor 19
incident shall be reported not later than thirty days after the occurrence 20
of such incident. 21
(c) Commencing on July 1, 2028, and annually thereafter, the 22
Connecticut Siting Council shall submit a report, in accordance with the 23
provisions of section 11-4a of the general statutes, detailing any reports 24
the council has received pursuant to this section in the preceding year 25
to the joint standing committee of the General Assembly having 26
cognizance of matters relating to energy and technology. 27
Sec. 2. Section 16-50l of the 2026 supplement to the general statutes is 28
amended by adding subsections (i) and (j) as follows (Effective October 1, 29
2026): 30
(NEW) (i) In addition to the requirements of this section, the council 31
may, in the council's discretion, require that, as a condition of approval 32
for any facility described in subdivision (3) of subsection (a) of section 33
16-50i, the applicant provide emergency services training specific to the 34
proposed facility, at the applicant's sole expense, to firefighters or other 35
emergency services personnel in any municipality in which such facility 36
shall be located. If the council imposes such a condition pursuant to this 37
subsection, the applicant shall provide notice of the availability of such 38
training to the chief executive officer and fire marshal of any 39
municipality in which such facility shall be located, as ordered by the 40
council. The chief executive officer or fire marshal shall respond in 41
writing to such notice not later than sixty days after the receipt of such 42
notice and indicate whether firefighters or other emergency services 43
personnel in the municipality request such training. If such training is 44
so requested, the applicant will arrange for such training to be provided 45
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not later than sixty days after such request. 46
(NEW) (j) (1) For the purposes of this subsection, "emergency contact 47
person" means a person, including an entity or an organization, 48
designated by an applicant or certificate holder pursuant to this section, 49
who has authority to act on behalf of the applicant or certificate holder 50
in the event of an emergency at a facility described in subdivision (3) of 51
subsection (a) of section 16 -50i. As a condition of approval under this 52
section, an applicant shall (A) designate an emergency contact person 53
for such facility, (B) provide the contact information for such emergency 54
contact person to the council and both the chief executive officer and the 55
local fire official of any municipality in which such facility is located, 56
and (C) post a sign at each entrance to such facility displaying the 57
contact information for such emergency contact person. 58
(2) Not later than January 1, 2027, any certificate holder that owns or 59
operates a facility described in subdivision (3) of subsection (a) of 60
section 16 -50i shall (A) designate an emergency contact person, (B) 61
provide the contact information for such emergency contact person, in 62
writing, to the council and both the chief executive officer and the local 63
fire official of any municipality in which such facility is located, and (C) 64
post a sign at each entrance to the facility displaying the contact 65
information for such emergency contact person. 66
(3) If the person, entity or organization designated as the emergency 67
contact person pursuant to this subsection has changed, or the contact 68
information for such emergency contact person has changed, the 69
applicant or certificate holder shall, not later than thirty days after such 70
change, (A) provide written notice of such change to the council and 71
both the chief executive officer and the local fire official of any 72
municipality in which such facility is located, and (B) update each sign 73
at the facility displaying the contact information for the emergency 74
contact person. 75
(4) Any person designated as an emergency contact person pursuant 76
to this subsection shall be available to respond to any emergency at such 77
facility not later than one hour after the occurrence of such emergency. 78
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If an emergency contact person fails to timely respond in the event of an 79
emergency at such facility, any firefighter or other emergency services 80
personnel who attempted to contact the emergency contact person shall 81
file a written report with the council detailing such lack of response. 82
Sec. 3. (NEW) (Effective October 1, 2026) (a) Not later than November 83
1, 2026, the chairperson of the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority, in 84
consultation with the Commissioner of Energy and Environmental 85
Protection and the Connecticut Siting Council, shall convene a working 86
group within the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority for the purpose 87
of reviewing and assessing any processes concerning the resumption of 88
electric generation services after a shutoff of such services at any facility 89
described in subdivision (3) of subsection (a) of section 16 -50i of the 90
general statutes that exceeds five days. Such review and assessment 91
shall consider (1) any existing statutory, regulatory or contractual 92
processes governing the resumption of electric generation services 93
following an extended shutoff; (2) the adequacy of coordination among 94
electric generation facility owners or operators, electric distribution 95
companies, regional transmission organizations and state agencies; (3) 96
potential risks to public safety or electric grid reliability associated with 97
extended shutoffs and subsequent resumption of service; and (4) any 98
recommendations for statutory, regulatory or procedural changes to 99
improve transparency, coordination and safety upon the resumption of 100
such services. 101
(b) The working group shall include: 102
(1) The chairperson of the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority, or 103
the chairperson's designee; 104
(2) The chairperson of the Connecticut Siting Council, or the 105
chairperson's designee; 106
(3) The Commissioner of Energy and Environmental Protection, or 107
the commissioner's designee; 108
(4) One or more representatives from an electric distribution 109
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company, as defined in section 16-1 of the general statutes; 110
(5) One or more owners or operators of an electric generation facility 111
described in subdivision (3) of subsection (a) of section 16 -50i of the 112
general statutes; 113
(6) A person employed by an institution of higher education in the 114
state, who has expertise in electrical engineering or any field related to 115
the generation, transmission or distribution of electricity; 116
(7) The Consumer Counsel, or the counsel's designee; and 117
(8) Any other interested party the chairperson deems appropriate. 118
(c) Not later than February 1, 2027, the chairperson of the Public 119
Utilities Regulatory Authority shall, in accordance with the provisions 120
of section 11-4a of the general statutes, submit a report on the efforts of 121
such working group and any recommendations to the joint standing 122
committees of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters 123
relating to energy and technology and public safety. 124
This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following
sections:
Section 1 October 1, 2026 New section
Sec. 2 October 1, 2026 16-50l(i) and (j)
Sec. 3 October 1, 2026 New section
Statement of Legislative Commissioners:
In Section 2, instances of "chief executive official" were changed to "chief
executive officer" for conformity with the general statutes.
ET Joint Favorable Subst.
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The following Fiscal Impact Statement and Bill Analysis are prepared for the benefit of the members of
the General Assembly, solely for purposes of information, summarization and explanation and do not
represent the intent of the General Assembly or either chamber thereof for any purpose. In general,
fiscal impacts are based upon a variety of informational sources, including the analyst’s professional
knowledge. Whenever applicable, agency data is consulted as part of the analysis, however final
products do not necessarily reflect an assessment from any specific department.
OFA Fiscal Note
State Impact: None
Municipal Impact: None
Explanation
The bill requires the Connecticut Siting Council (CSC) to expand their
jurisdiction over safety incidents at electric generation and storage
systems. This is not anticipated to result in a fiscal impact, as the CSC
has the staff and expertise necessary to complete the requirements of the
bill.
Additionally, the bill requires the Public Utilities Regulatory
Authority (PURA) to convene a working group to study the process for
resuming electric generation services at an electric generation or storage
facility after a service shutoff that exceeds five days. This is not
anticipated to result in a fiscal impact, as PURA has the staff and
expertise necessary to oversee the working group.
The Out Years
State Impact: None
Municipal Impact: None
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OLR Bill Analysis
sHB 5472
AN ACT CONCERNING THE SAFETY OF ENERGY GENERATION
SOURCES AND ENERGY STORAGE SYSTEMS.
SUMMARY
This bill establishes certain requirements and provisions related to
safety incidents at electric generation and storage systems subject to the
Connecticut Siting Council’s jurisdiction. It generally:
1. requires those electric generation and storage facilities to file
reports on certain safety incidents with the council;
2. allows the council to require applicants for these facilities to give
local firefighters or other emergency services personnel training
specific to the proposed facility;
3. requires the council to require an applicant or certificate holder
for these facilities to designate an emergency contact person for
the facility; and
4. requires the chairperson of the Public Utilities Regulatory
Authority (PURA) to convene a working group to study the
process for resuming electric generation services at an electric
generation or storage facility after a service shutoff that exceeds
five days.
EFFECTIVE DATE: October 1, 2026
INCIDENT REPORTS
The bill requires a ny person (including entities) who has a Siting
Council certificate to operate an electric generation or storage facility to
report any major or minor incident at the facility in a form and way set
by the council. Under the bill, they must report a major incident within
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five days after it occurs, and a minor incident within 30 days after it
occurs.
Under the bill , a “major incident” is any event at an electric
generation or storage facility that ( 1) requires an emergency shutoff of
electricity flowing to or from it due to a hazardous condition at the
facility, (2) requires local emergency services personnel to respond to
the facility, or ( 3) causes injury requiring someone’s hospitalization. A
“minor incident” is an unanticipated or unplanned shutdown of the
facility that does not require local emergency services personnel to
respond. It does not incl ude a shutdown for scheduled or routine
maintenance.
The bill requires the Siting Council, starting on July 1, 2028, to
annually give the Energy and Technology Committee a report detailing
any reports on major and minor incidents the council received over the
prior year.
EMERGENCY SERVICES TRAINING
The bill allows the Siting Council to require, as a condition of
approving an electric generation or storage facility , that the applicant
provide emergency services training specific to the proposed facility to
local firefighters or other emergency services personnel (those in any
municipality where the facility will be located). The applicant must pay
for the training.
If the council imposes this requirement, the bill requires the applicant
to notify the local chief executive officer and fire marshal, as ordered by
the council. The chief executive officer or fire marshal must respond to
the notice in writing within 60 days after recei ving it, and indicate
whether firefighters or other emergency services personnel in the
municipality request the training. If so, the applicant must arrange for
the training to be given within 60 days after the request.
EMERGENCY CONTACT PERSON
The bill also requires the Siting Council, as a condition for approving
a facility, to require an applicant to (1) designate an emergency contact
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person for the facility, (2) give the person’s contact information to the
council and the chief executive officer and the local fire official of the
municipality where the facility is located, and (3) post a sign displaying
the contact person’s contact information at each entrance to the facility.
Additionally, a ny current certificate holder must take these steps by
January 1, 2027.
Under the bill, an “emergency contact person” is a person (including
an entity or an organization ), designated by an applicant or certificate
holder, who has authority to act on behalf of the applicant or certificate
holder in the event of an emergency at an electric generation or storage
facility.
If the designated emergency contact person or their contact
information changes, the bill requires the applicant or certificate holder,
within 30 days after the change, to (1) give written notice about the
change to the council and the local chief executive officer and fire official
and (2) update each sign displaying the contact information at the
facility.
The bill requires the designated emergency contact person to be
available to respond to any emergency at the facility within one hour
after the emergency occurs. If the person fails to timely respond to an
emergency at the facility, any firefighter or other emergency services
personnel who tried to contact the emergency contact person must file
a written report with the council detailing the lack of response.
PURA WORKING GROUP
The bill requires PURA’s chairperson, by November 1, 2026, and in
consultation with the energy and environmental protection (DEEP)
commissioner and Siting Council, to convene a working group within
PURA to review and assess any processes on the resumption of electric
generation services after a service shutoff at an electric generation or
storage facility that exceeds five days. The review and assessment must
consider:
1. any existing statutory, regulatory , or contractual processes
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governing the resumption of electric generation services after an
extended shutoff;
2. the adequacy of coordination among electric generation facility
owners or operators, electric distribution companies, regional
transmission organizations, and state agencies;
3. potential risks to public safety or electric grid reliability
associated with extended shutoffs and subsequent service
resumptions; and
4. any recommendations for statutory, regulatory , or procedural
changes to improve transparency, coordination, and safety when
service resumes.
The bill requires the working group to include:
1. PURA’s chairperson or his designee;
2. the Siting Council’s chairperson or their designee;
3. the DEEP commissioner or her designee;
4. at least one representative from an electric distribution company
(Eversource or United Illuminating);
5. at least one owner or operator of an electric generation facility
subject to the Siting Council’s jurisdiction;
6. an employee of a higher education institution in the state with
expertise in electrical engineering or any field related to
electricity generation, transmission, or distribution;
7. the consumer counsel or her designee; and
8. any other interested party the chairperson deems appropriate.
The bill requires PURA’s chairperson, by February 1, 2027, to submit
a report on the working group’s efforts and recommendations to the
Energy and Technology and Public Safety committees.
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BACKGROUND
Related Bill
HB 5457, reported favorably by the Public Safety Committee,
generally (1) requires local fire marshals to give the Siting Council an
incident report for any fire or explosion at a solar photovoltaic electric
generating facility under the council’s jurisdiction and (2) sets
conditions under which the council (a) must open an amendment
proceeding to require these facility owners to adopt a fire mitigation
plan and (b) may require other similar facilities to do the same.
COMMITTEE ACTION
Energy and Technology Committee
Joint Favorable Substitute
Yea 23 Nay 3 (03/19/2026)