Lee Hoffman Talks Hydroelectric Power with Hartford Business Journal

Lee D. Hoffman, Pullman & Comley Energy attorney and chair of the firm, spoke to Hartford Business Journal about the potential resurgence of hydroelectric power as a carbon-free and efficient energy source to help Connecticut meet its 2040 goal of procuring all energy from zero-carbon sources. Lee emphasizes the need for a diverse mix of zero-carbon resources in order to get to that goal. "You’re going to need nuclear, you’re going to need wind, you’re going to need solar and yes, you’re going to need hydroelectric.”

Although fossil fuel-burning power plants generate and produce electricity, they produce large amounts of carbon dioxide, contributing to climate change. Five of six New England states have decarbonization goals between now and 2050. “If those five states achieve their zero-carbon goals by 2050, we will need to roughly double our electric production in New England, and we will need to do so while replacing our current fossil fuel assets. So, right now, the biggest producer of electricity in New England is natural gas. We will have to replace a significant number of natural gas-fired power plants as well as other fossil fuel plants, while at the same time doubling the overall production, and that’s a daunting task,” Lee said.

The Connecticut state legislature passed a bill this year that will establish a task force to study and review the benefits of the state's hydropower assets.

To read the full article, please visit the Hartford Business Journal website.