PURA technical meeting: utilities propose per‑port incentives, $20M cap prompts transition questions

The Public Utilities Regulatory Authority held a technical meeting in Docket 250806 on the annual EV charging program review, during which the state’s investor‑owned utilities proposed a new incentive framework to comply with Public Act 25‑173 and described operational updates to managed‑charging and make‑ready efforts.

PURA staff attorney Arthur Lefebvre opened the session: “today's discussion is intended to be more informal and more of an open discussion that allows the authority to further refine the aspects of the program,” and asked roundtable participants to describe program changes and remaining questions.

The utilities said the new statute’s limits — a $20,000,000 statewide cap on spending for charging stations and customer wiring upgrades beginning Jan. 1, 2026, plus new income eligibility rules for the single‑family residential rebate — require immediate program design changes. The utilities proposed (a) shifting commercial incentives from a per‑site cap to a per‑port payment and (b) concentrating residential upfront support on customers who meet the new eligibility rule (those at or below 300% of the federal poverty level or who live in “concentrated poverty” census tracts). Eversource and United Illuminating said the combined effect of the cap and the eligibility rules would roughly halve the program budget available for incentives and that the proposed per‑port payments were set to reflect an approximately 50% reduction relative to historic funding levels.

Why it matters: Public Act 25‑173 (Senate Bill 4) changes both funding and eligibility for Connecticut’s EV charging incentives. Utilities and stakeholders told PURA they need clarity on whether applications received and/or awards issued before Dec. 31, 2025, will be treated as outside the cap, because the agencies must know which applications to accept, award and pay under the old rules to avoid interrupting projects or improperly committing limited 2026 funding.

Key program updates and proposals

• MUD pilot and enrollment: Rick Rosa, senior manager of EV programs for UI, summarized the multi‑unit…