Aquarion Set To Be Purchased; ‘No Intention’ To Change Rates, New Owners Say

ANSONIAUtility company Eversource reached an agreement to sell Aquarion, the utility company which supplies water to parts of east Derby, Oxford, Seymour and wastewater services to Ansonia, to the South Central Connecticut Regional Water Authority (RWA).

Eversource announced the sale in a press release on Jan. 27. The RWA expects to pay $1.6 billion in cash for Aquarion, in addition to assuming $800 million of the company’s debt.

The deal will have to be approved by regulatory authorities in Connecticut, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire – the three states where Aquarion operates – before it can close. Representatives from Eversource and Aquarion said they expect the deal to close by the end of 2025.

Aquarion made news last year, when it purchased Ansonia’s wastewater facilities for $41 million. The new owners sent out their first sewer bills to city ratepayers this month.

Rochelle Kowalski, the chief financial officer for the RWA, told The Valley Indy that it’s too early to say what the deal means for local ratepayers – but that they don’t expect any major changes.

At acquisition, current rates and charges will be in effect,” Kowalski wrote. There is no intention to blend (Aquarion) and RWA rates.”

Peter Fazekas, a spokesperson for Aquarion, said business will continue as usual while the deal is being closed.

The Valley Indy asked Mayor David Cassetti whether he had any concerns or worries over the city’s new WPCA owner.

Not a worry in the world,” Cassetti responded in a text.

Aquarion will also undergo a name change – it will be known as the Aquarion Water Authority going forward.

The RWA is a nonprofit, public corporation that currently supplies drinking water to Derby, Ansonia, and parts of Seymour. It supplies about 430,000 people in Connecticut, according to its annual report; Aquarion, meanwhile, supplies about 775,000 people.

Aquarion was originally acquired by Eversource in 2017. Eversource began looking to sell the company off last year, according to The CT Mirror, amid heavy losses and an order to cut rates from Connecticut utility regulators.

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