Energy

This bill, known as the Advanced Grid Technologies Act, requires electric public utilities in New Jersey to obtain a certificate from the Board of Public Utilities before building supplemental transmission projects. It establishes a new oversight process for these projects, which are currently less regulated than other regional grid upgrades, and mandates that the state consider advanced technologies like high-performance conductors and smart grid software. The legislation also creates an expedited review timeline for projects that utilize these modern tools to improve grid efficiency and reliability. By bringing these specific construction plans under state supervision, the bill aims to ensure that utility investments align with consumer interests and public needs.

New Jersey's A796 requires electric utilities to create special rate structures for large data centers (defined as facilities with at least 100 megawatts of monthly demand) to prevent these centers from raising costs for regular residential and business customers. Utilities must file these rate plans with the Board of Public Utilities within 180 days, ensuring non-data-center customers are protected from cost increases caused by data centers' high energy use while also encouraging energy efficiency through incentives like heat-capture technology. The Board of Public Utilities will review and approve these plans, and utilities must apply them to qualifying data centers one year after the law takes effect. The bill also mandates financial safeguards, such as requiring new data centers to commit to using at least 85% of their requested service for 10 years, to further shield ratepayers from unexpected cost spikes.