Bill Text: NJ S3784 | 2026-2027 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Concerns electricity load forecasting.
Sponsorship: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1)
Status: (Introduced) 2026-03-05 - Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate Economic Growth Committee [S3784 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2026-S3784-Introduced.html
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.
