Bill > HB1579

This bill directs the legislative management to conduct a comprehensive study during the 2025-26 interim focusing on the impact of large energy consumers, such as data centers, on North Dakota's electrical grid. The study will examine multiple aspects including grid reliability, infrastructure requirements, potential upgrade costs, and grid congestion effects, while seeking input from a diverse range of stakeholders including utilities, energy councils, transmission authorities, and regulatory agencies. Key areas of investigation include regulatory consistency across different utility types, economic impacts like job creation and tax revenue generation, market dynamics of energy consumption, costs and impacts of public utilities, and regulatory criteria related to load size and grid integration. The legislative management will be required to report its findings and recommendations, along with potential legislative proposals, to the 70th legislative assembly, with the broader goal of understanding how large energy consumers interact with and potentially strain the state's electrical infrastructure while exploring opportunities for sustainable economic development and grid stability.

Agriculture and Natural Resources

https://ndlegis.gov/assembly/69-2025/regular/bill-overview/bo1579.html