SENATE ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY COMMITTEE

STATEMENT TO

SENATE, No. 4293

with committee amendments

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

DATED:  MAY 22, 2025

      The Senate Environment and Energy Committee reports favorably and with committee amendments Senate Bill No. 4293.

This bill, as amended by the committee, would require the owner or operator of a data center in the State to prepare and submit a quarterly water and energy usage report to the Board of Public Utilities (BPU) that contains the following information, at a minimum: (1) basic information relating to the data center; (2) information related to energy and water usage at the data center; (3) performance calculations and indicators for the data center, including the energy reuse factor, power usage effectiveness, renewable energy factor, and water usage effectiveness; (4) sustainability indicators for the data center; and (5) any other information determined by the BPU to be necessary.  Data centers that have been in operation for at least a year would be required to provide the report to the BPU within three months after the bill’s enactment, and all other data centers would be required to provide the report to the BPU within six months after the bill’s enactment.  Within 30 days of receiving a water and energy usage report from the owner or operator of a data center pursuant to the bill’s provisions, the BPU would be required to publish the information on its Internet website, and update the information as necessary.

      An owner or operator of a data center that has submitted a water and energy usage report to the BPU pursuant to the bill’s provisions would be required to notify the BPU of any substantial change in operations or technologies at the data center that would require an update to the information provided in the water and energy usage report at least 60 days prior to implementing the change in operations or technologies at the data center.

COMMITTEE AMENDMENTS:

      The committee amendments to the bill:

      (1) require the water and energy usage report to be submitted quarterly, rather than annually;

      (2) require data centers that have been in operation for at least a year to provide the report to the BPU within three months after the bill’s enactment, rather than one year after the bill’s enactment; and

      (3) require all other data centers to provide the report to the BPU within six months after the bill’s enactment, rather than one year after the bill’s enactment.