NRG to trim a third of work force by June

Up to 70 employees, roughly a third of the work force, at NRG Energy's Connecticut plants will be laid off in June.

NRG spokesman David Gaier said the company has about 200 employees in Connecticut, he said. Most of those laid off work in operations or maintenance at plants in Montville, Norwalk, Middletown or Milford, he added.

The layoffs are the result of not having enough work now that "Reliability Must Run" contracts with ISO New England are expiring, Gaier said.

ISO is the nonprofit agency that manages the region's electric grid. Those contracts pay NRG to provide electric power in the region, whether or not ISO actually ended up requesting the power.

"We have more people than we have work, so it's an economic decision," he said of the layoffs. "The units weren't being dispatched as much."

The trimmed work force will not compromise safety at the plants, Gaier added.

"Safety is always our top priority, and the staffing plan we're putting in place still puts safety first," Gaier said.

"It's not just a slogan, it's really a part of our culture."

Construction projects for peaking plants in Milford and Middletown are on schedule and won't be affected by the layoffs, he added.

p.daddona@theday.com