(TNS) — A bill passed Thursday by the state Assembly’s Energy and Technology Committee would limit the potential impact of NE Edge’s planned data center at the Millstone Power Plant to power grids in five New England states. The management company, ISO New England, is required to investigate.
The bill, introduced by Rep. Norm Needleman, D-Essex, would not only cover NE Edge’s proposed data center in Waterford, but any data center proposed in the state that would bypass the electric grid. Applicable.
Committee members voted 12-3 in favor of the bill, sending it to the Senate for further consideration.
If the bill passes, data centers that are located “behind the meter,” meaning they are powered directly from energy production sources such as power plants, wind farms, and solar parks, will be required to: must be submitted to. An “impact study” was conducted from ISO New England and the local utility company where the data center will be located, Needleman said.
“If we’re going to provide backup from the grid, we need to make sure we have enough power to do that,” he said. “Whether we’re utilizing 300 megawatts or whatever the wattage is, shutting down the power plant and backing it up with the rest of the grid is like an additional amount of potential power loss. I would like to confirm that.”
A state law enacted in 2021 creates incentives to build data centers in Connecticut, and the state Department of Economic and Community Development has established long-term tax incentives with developers committed to investing millions of dollars in the state. It became possible to conclude preferential treatment agreements.
As a result, several towns in the state, including Waterford, have begun hosting talks with data center developers. NE Edge signed a host fee agreement with the town last year, pledging to pay $231 million in fees over 30 years in lieu of property taxes.
Under the agreement, NE Edge will construct two two-story data center buildings on Millstone’s property and will be able to purchase power directly from Millstone’s owner, Dominion Energy Nuclear Connecticut. , which will reduce the cost of electricity consumed in data centers.
The Northeast Edge project has been stalled since the State Land Council’s decision in January to deny Dominion the boundary changes needed to move forward with the project.
Needleman said lawmakers didn’t fully consider the impact of data centers when the incentive bill was proposed.
Rep. Holly Cheeseman (R-East Lyme), who sponsored the 2021 bill, now wants to study the potential impact data centers have on energy consumption. She voted with a majority on Thursday.
“For me, I’m very concerned about the current proposal,” he said, referring to the Northeast Edge, “and the anticipated impact of adding yet another huge demand source to our grid.” I am also concerned about the consequences of not doing so.”
Rep. Paul Ackert (R-Coventry) said he would continue to vote against the bill because he believes it goes against legislation that has attracted data center construction to the state.
“We’re looking forward to attracting businesses to come here and give us a little bit of financial credit, and then say, hey, hey, wait a minute, timeout. Let’s not put investment money here. That would be the case,” he said. He said.
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