Senate Bill No. 299, also known as File No. 344, is a legislative proposal concerning the impact of large data centers on electric distribution system reliability. The bill mandates that the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority (PURA), in collaboration with the Office of Consumer Counsel, the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, and the regional independent system operator (as defined in section 16-1 of the general statutes), initiate an uncontested proceeding by July 1, 2024, to evaluate this impact.

The bill includes a new section (Section 1) that will take effect upon passage. The fiscal impact statement attached to the bill indicates that there will be no fiscal impact on the state or municipalities as a result of the creation of a docket to carry out the study. The bill has received a Joint Favorable report from the Energy and Technology Committee with a vote of 15 in favor and 4 against on March 21, 2024. There are no insertions or deletions indicated in the provided text that would amend existing law, aside from the addition of the new section concerning the study of data centers' impact on grid reliability.