For Millstone, the precise implications of cheap natural gas and the strong competition it has created are not known. But even the suggestion of a hypothetical shutdown should be taken seriously: Millstone is an important regional employer, and electric rates would likely shoot up if it were to close. The plant generates about 2,000 megawatts of power, enough for about half of Connecticut’s needs.
Accordingly, the Legislature ought to earnestly consider Dominion’s proposals aimed at helping the plant weather a period of relative hardship. Doing so is critical for Eastern Connecticut’s economy and for the pursuit of reduced carbon emissions.