The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection is launching a statewide effort to explore new nuclear power options, including small modular reactors and fusion technology. The agency says a series of public workshops will begin soon to help communities understand the opportunities and challenges of advanced nuclear development. Officials say feedback from those sessions will shape a voluntary funding program that could provide grants or loans for site readiness work. The move comes as New England’s electric grid operator projects an 11 percent rise in energy demand over the next decade.