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Contact: David Goldberg
Director, Government and External Relations
Clean Energy Finance and Investment Authority
Phone: (860) 257-2889
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Rocky Hill, Conn., July 9, 2013 — The Clean Energy Finance and Investment Authority (CEFIA) today released a rolling Request for Proposals (RFP) for its Combined Heat and Power Pilot Program. Pursuant to Section 103 of Public Act 11-80, and subsequently amended by Public Act 12-2, CEFIA is charged with administering a three-year $6 million dollar pilot program. The total funding remaining in the program for all selected projects under this competitive solicitation is $5 million dollars. This program will offer support for projects that are below five megawatts.
The purpose of the Combined Heat and Power (CHP) RFP is to solicit project applications from eligible entities working with experienced CHP developers. There will be a strong emphasis on evaluating the financial feasibility of each proposed installation as well as the applicant’s ability to complete construction of the project in a timely manner.
CEFIA has modified the original CHP program RFP, which was offered on June 18, 2012, to provide greater flexibility for project developers to be able to submit their projects when they are ready, as opposed to trying to time the RFP deadline window. CEFIA recognizes that these projects can be very time sensitive and must be acted on when all parties are in alignment or the opportunity could be lost.
This CHP solicitation is designed to offer a number of financial support options in an effort to best leverage limited public dollars. Financial support may include a loan, performance based incentive, alternative financing mechanism, or grant – with higher weighting given to projects that request financing as opposed to grants. CEFIA seeks to ensure that project developers have a significant share of the overall financial burden and risk and that selected projects provide benefits to Connecticut’s ratepayers, environment, and economy.
CEFIA will offer financial support for CHP energy generating projects in the developmental stages that have not yet commenced the construction phase. The level of support for individual awards is not a fixed amount based on size or cost; it will vary based on the specific technology, efficiency, and economics of the installation.The intent of the financial support is to enable project owners to achieve a reasonable “payback” during the life of the project, with a fair and reasonable return on investment, compared with purchasing the equivalent amount of power from the utility.
Prospective applicants should review the CHP RFP which contains detailed information regarding the application and evaluation processes, solicitation eligibility, eligible energy projects, and potential areas of financial innovation.
The RFP and application materials are posted at www.energizect.com/CHP. Applications under this RFP must be submitted no later than 5:00 p.m. EST, on February 27, 2015. Programmatic questions regarding eligibility will be accepted via email from the release date, through the closing of the RFP. Questions regarding application processes or timetables may be directed to Rick Ross, CEFIA Program Manager, Clean Energy Deployment at [email protected].