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Gov. Ned Lamont has proposed the state set a binding target to make the state’s electrical grid carbon-free by 2040.

“We’ve already made great progress in decarbonizing our grid, but we need to make sure we get the rest of the way there,” Lamont said said in a statement issued by his office. “Codifying the 2040 zero-carbon electric grid target will provide critical direction to the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority, the electric utilities, the municipal utilities, and others in planning and implementing energy policy. Many of our peer states have adopted their own zero-carbon goals, including our neighbors in Rhode Island by 2030 and New York by 2040. Let’s get this done for the sake of doing our part to mitigate climate change, improve our air, and support clean energy jobs across Connecticut.”

The target would be enacted via Senate Bill 10.

Connecticut has already made “substantial progress” toward the goal, Lamont’s office said, largely through rates paid by Connecticut electricity customers. Nearly 74 percent of the electricity consumed by customers of the state’s two electric distribution companies is zero-carbon, the administration said, including nearly 700,000 megawatt-hours per year of renewable energy and 18 million megawatt-hours per year of nuclear energy. Lamont’s office expects that figure to rise to 92 percent by 2025 as offshore wind and grid-scale solar projects come online.

Environmental advocates allied with Lamont on the bill say the move is necessary because the stat is not on track to meet its greenhouse gas-reduction benchmarks.

“Connecticut’s landmark Global Warming Solutions Act requires the state to significantly reduce its greenhouse gas emissions,” Charles Rothenberger, climate and energy attorney for Save the Sound, said in a statement provided by Lamont’s office. “Unfortunately, we know from the most recent Connecticut greenhouse gas inventory that the state is not currently on track to meet those mandatory reductions. Codifying the 100% zero-carbon electricity standard is a critical step towards eliminating our reliance on fossil fuels and achieving our climate goals.”