This bill amends New Hampshire's energy policy to enhance the integration of advanced nuclear resources (ANR) and community solar projects. It introduces a definition for "advanced nuclear resource," aligning it with renewable energy sources for utility services, and clarifies the responsibilities of the coordinator of nuclear development, which now includes managing funding and oversight of nuclear incentive programs and public safety outreach. The bill also allows electric distribution utilities to issue requests for proposals (RFPs) for energy agreements, potentially in collaboration with other New England states. Key changes include raising the capacity limit for community solar projects for low-moderate income households from 6 megawatts to 18 megawatts and allowing group net metering members to enter agreements with multiple hosts, provided their total load does not exceed their capacity.

Additionally, the bill expands the definition of "political subdivision" to include nonprofit educational institutions, increasing their eligibility for group net metering participation. It raises the peak generating capacity threshold for certain metering requirements from 100 kilowatts to 500 kilowatts, thereby adjusting regulations for larger customer-generators. The bill also allows investor-owned electric distribution utilities to develop multi-year purchased power agreements, extending the proposal deadline from 2025 to 2040, and stipulates that utilities may enter into agreements for up to 3 million megawatt hours annually, with specific caps on energy procurement from various sources. Overall, the bill aims to facilitate the integration of advanced nuclear resources and community solar projects while ensuring benefits for low-income communities, with no anticipated fiscal impact on state or local budgets.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: 374-F:2, 374-F:3, 374-G:4
As Amended by the House: 374-F:2
As Amended by the Senate: 362-A:9, 362-A:1-a, 374-F:2, 362-F:2, 374-F:11