This bill amends existing law to allow the Department of Energy and electric distribution utilities to issue requests for proposals (RFPs) for multi-year energy agreements, either in conjunction with or independently from environmental attributes associated with electric energy sources. The bill aims to address the high cost of electricity in New Hampshire, which is above the national average, by enabling utilities to seek diverse and long-term energy options. Key changes include the addition of the Department of Energy to the entities that can issue RFPs and the removal of deadlines for these actions, allowing for greater flexibility in procurement.

Additionally, the bill specifies that all megawatt hours procured through these agreements must come from existing, new, or incremental electric energy sources. It defines "existing electric energy sources" as those currently supplying energy to the ISO-NE regional markets, including nuclear facilities that began operations before January 1, 2011. The bill also modifies the process for electric distribution utilities to petition the Public Utilities Commission for authorization to enter into agreements, removing a previous deadline and allowing for a total of up to 2 million megawatt hours to be procured annually if deemed just and reasonable. The act will take effect 60 days after passage and is projected to have no fiscal impact on state, county, or local revenues or expenditures.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: 374-F:11
As Amended by the Senate: 374-F:11