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S3784
SENATE, No. 3784
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
222nd LEGISLATURE
�
INTRODUCED MARCH 5, 2026
Sponsored by:
Senator� ANDREW ZWICKER
District 16 (Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex and Somerset)
SYNOPSIS
���� Concerns electricity load forecasting.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
���� As introduced.
��
An Act
concerning electricity load forecasting and
supplementing Title 48 of the Revised Statutes.
����
Be It
Enacted
by the Senate and General Assembly of
the State of New Jersey:
���� 1.��� The Legislature finds
and declares that: �
���� a.���� Recent reports from PJM
Interconnection, L.L.C. (PJM), have highlighted that electricity demand across
the PJM footprint, including New Jersey, is projected to grow due to data
centers, electrification of vehicles and buildings, and other large-load additions.�
PJM predicts that by 2030, 32 GW of load will be added to the electric grid,
with 30 GW of that load attributable to data centers.
���� b.��� PJM relies upon load
forecasts submitted by electric public utilities in the State to establish
system planning needs and capacity requirements, which both have associated
costs.
���� c.���� Accurate load
forecasting is essential to ensure the adequacy of electric supply, to maintain
system reliability, and to protect New Jersey consumers from unnecessary costs
caused by the overbuilding or underbuilding of system resources.
���� d.��� However, the current
process that electric public utilities and load-serving entities use to submit
information to PJM is opaque and lacks the transparency that policymakers,
regulators, and stakeholders require to confidently rely upon the results of such
forecasts.
���� e.���� Therefore, there is a
critical need for the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities to provide oversight
of load forecasts from New Jersey utilities to ensure accuracy and
transparency, and to coordinate with PJM and neighboring state regulators for
system-wide planning and to prevent duplicative counting of projects and
customer contracts.
���� 2.��� a.� As used in this
section:
���� �Board� means the Board of
Public Utilities or its successor agency.
���� �Electric public utility�
means a public utility, as that term is defined in R.S.48:2-13, that transmits
and distributes electricity to end users within the State.
���� �Load-forecasting information�
means the methodologies, data, and assumptions utilized in the process of
predicting future electrical load requirements to support power generation
planning and the operation of electrical power systems.� �Load-forecasting
information� shall include contracts, agreements, and commitments made between
electric public utilities, load-serving entities, and their customers that
impact load forecasting.
���� �Load-serving entity� means
any corporation, partnership, sole proprietorship, or other entity, that
provides electrical power to end users within the State.� �Load-serving entity�
shall not include electric public utilities.
���� �PJM Interconnection, L.L.C.�
or �PJM� means the same as the term is defined in section 3 of P.L.1999, c.23
(C.48:3-51).
���� �Regulatory authorities� means
state electric utility regulatory agencies with regulatory jurisdiction within
the PJM Region.
���� b.��� Notwithstanding any law,
rule, or regulation to the contrary, the board shall require each electric
public utility and load-serving entity to periodically provide to the board all
load-forecasting information available to the electric public utility or
load-serving entity, including any filings provided by the electric public
utility or load-serving entity to PJM.
���� c.���� The board shall review
the filings and information provided by electric public utilities and
load-serving entities pursuant to subsection b. of this section and shall analyze
the potential impact of the filings and information on load-forecasting in the
State.
���� d.��� The board shall
coordinate with PJM to ensure load-forecasting information is incorporated into
PJM�s regional planning in a fair, accurate, and non-duplicative manner.� The
board shall further coordinate with PJM and other regulatory authorities to
ensure that large loads and customer contracts are accounted for in a
non-duplicative manner.
���� e.���� Beginning in 2026, the
board shall submit an annual report, no later than June 30 of each year, to the
Governor and to the Legislature, pursuant to section 2 of P.L.1991, c.164
(C.52:14-19.1), summarizing and updating the information received pursuant to
subsection b. of this section, the board�s analysis of the information received
pursuant to subsection c. of this section, and the board�s efforts to implement
the provisions of subsection d. of this section.�
���� 3.��� The board shall adopt,
pursuant to the �Administrative Procedure Act,� P.L.1968, c.410 (C.52:14B-1 et
seq.), rules and regulations as may be necessary to implement the provisions of
this act, including rules and regulations on the handling of confidential
information received from electric public utilities and load-serving entities.
���� 4.��� This act shall take
effect immediately.
STATEMENT
���� This bill requires the Board
of Public Utilities (board) to collect load-forecasting information from
electric public utilities and load-serving entities.� The bill further requires
the board to analyze the potential impact of the filings and information on load-forecasting
for the State.� Additionally, the bill requires the board to coordinate with
PJM Interconnection, L.L.C. (PJM) to ensure load-forecasting information is
incorporated into PJM�s regional planning in a fair, accurate, and
non-duplicative manner and requires the board to coordinate with PJM and other
regulatory authorities to ensure that large loads and customer contracts are
accounted for in a non-duplicative manner.
���� The bill also requires the
board to provide annual reports to the Governor and to the Legislature that
include a summary of the load-forecasting information collected, the board�s
analysis of the load-forecasting information, and the board�s efforts to
coordinate with PJM and other regulatory authorities.
���� As used in this bill,
�load-forecasting information� means the methodologies, data, and assumptions
utilized in the process of predicting future electrical load requirements to
support power generation planning and the operation of electrical power systems.�
As defined in the bill, load-forecasting information includes contracts,
agreements, and commitments made between electric public utilities,
load-serving entities, and their customers that impact load forecasting.