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In a press release the governor’s offices announces that on day one New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill signed two executive orders aimed at the energy industry. 

Specifically, newly sworn in Gov. Mikie Sherrill of New Jersey signed two executive orders aimed at the energy industry directing the electric utilities seeking to freeze rate increases, providing ratepayer bill credits, and increasing distributed energy resources, including utility-scale solar and battery storage.

Executive Order No. 1  directs the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities to provide residential bill credits by July 1 and to “consider pursuing a pause, abeyance, or modification of the schedule governing any proceedings in which electric distribution utilities seek approvals for rate increases or cost recoveries.”

It also ordered the board to publish a study within 180 days of how to “modernize” the traditional electric utility business model, including opportunities to make utility revenue models “less dependent on capital spending.

“This executive order uses state authority to offset upcoming rate increases due to the regional grid operator PJM’s mismanagement and hold utilities accountable for keeping rates from continuing to climb at an unsustainable rate.

• Uses existing funds to offset electricity bill increases coming in June. 
• Empowers the Board of Public Utilities (BPU) to pause or modify utility actions that could further increase bills.  
• Directs BPU to review utility business models to ensure alignment with delivering cost reductions to ratepayers.”

“This will also create the conditions to massively expand New Jersey’s power generation, because more power in-state will help lower costs. I heard the people of New Jersey loud and clear – these rate hikes are unacceptable – and as your governor, I will not stop fighting to lower costs and make New Jersey a more affordable place to live, work, and raise a family,” said Governor Mikie Sherrill.  

Executive Order No. 2  – Acts to massively expand in-state power generation – including solar and battery storage in the short-term, and nuclear power in the long-term, to lower electric bills.  

This order is focused on growing the state’s electricity supply and increasing efficiency. It directed regulators to initiate solicitations for solar and transmission-scale battery storage and to begin development of a virtual power plant program to be administered by electric distribution utilities and third-party suppliers in the state.

More specifically the executive order declares “a State of Emergency under the Disaster Control Act and creates and expands multiple, expedited state programs to develop massive amounts of new power generation in New Jersey, because more power means lower costs – and we must move quickly as the federal government cuts support for energy production. It also tackles permitting challenges at the state level and interconnection delays at the utility level that hold up projects and drive-up costs. 

• Initiates and accelerates programs to bring on thousands of megawatts of new solar and battery storage generation.
• Directs state agencies to identify permit reforms to more rapidly deploy new energy projects.
• Directs BPU to act on artificial intelligence “ghost loads” by requiring electric utilities to report on energy requests from data centers. 
• Establishes a Nuclear Power Task Force to position the state to lead on building new nuclear power generation.