Vote Smart's Synopsis:

Vote to pass a bill that authorizes electric utility entities in New Hampshire to invest in natural gas or nuclear energy resources.

Highlights:

• Expands the stated purpose of the distributed energy resources law to support investment in natural gas, hydrogen, and nuclear technologies, including battery storage, for reliable and efficient energy alongside renewable resources (Sec. 1). 

• Authorizes a New Hampshire electric utility to own or invest in natural gas or nuclear energy generation resources located on or interconnected to the local electric distribution system (Sec. 2). 

• Limits any individual generation unit to no more than 5 megawatts in size (Sec. 2). 

• Limits the cumulative capacity of natural gas and nuclear generation owned by or receiving investment from a utility to no more than 10 percent of the utility’s total distribution peak load (Sec. 2). 

• Makes a utility eligible to seek rate recovery for its investments in natural gas and nuclear energy resources, in addition to renewable distributed energy resources, by making a rate filing with the Public Utilities Commission (Sec. 3). 

• Requires the Public Utilities Commission to determine that a utility’s investment and its rate recovery are in the public interest before authorizing recovery, based on balanced consideration of specified factors (Sec. 4). 

• Repeals existing limitations on utility-funded electric generation equipment and on utility investments in distributed energy resources (Sec. 5). 

• Specifies that this Act takes effect 60 days after passage (Sec. 6).

Full Bill Text