Articles 7.14.26.pdf

community benefits agreements; and supporting investment in local job creation related to data center development. * While Sherrill’s Pian sets forth clear guardrails, the specific legal mandates will require further legislative action or formal regulatory rule-making. * Sherrill’s Plan follows the introduction of Bill S731/A796 earlier this year that would require New Jersey public electric utilities to develop and submit a tariff to the Board of Public Utilities (BPU) for large load data centers. e Data center developers can take proactive measures now, including actively monitoring local legislative dockets, engaging with the Public Utility Commission, optimizing water consumption, implementing community benefit agreements, and diversifying power sources. New Jersey currently houses nearly 80 data centers/2] some of which use up to 300 megawatts of energy/3) the equivalent necessary to power entire towns in the state. Since last summer, electricity costs in New Jersey have increased by almost 20% with such increases acting as the main driver of inflation in the state [4] By placing guardrails on data centers, the Sherrill Administration seeks to mitigate public concerns over electricity costs, water usage, environmental impacts, and transparency associated with data center development in the state. According to Governor Sherrill, New Jersey's Comprehensive Plan is the first comprehensive strategy regulating data centers in the nation and consists of four pillars: (1) Implementing Fair-Share Rules: Data centers would be required to pay for infrastructure upgrades needed to connect their facilities to the electrical grid and cover the cost of improvements tied to their projects. (2) Improving Transparency: Data centers would be required to report energy and water usage every six months so that the public could be informed about the impacts of large-scale data center facilities on municipalities, including those relating to the electrical grid and water resources. bttpstty nulcounfinslabitayale sneer evs -firstnation-co...7ehansive-plan-regulale- data-conters him, saurceschatapl.con GARIIG, WA OA Frage 2 of 8