Newsroom & Public Notices

Public comment is open on the draft guidance through Dec. 4

TRENTON, N.J. – The New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (NJBPU) today opened a public comment period asking residents, communities, and stakeholders what they want to see from companies that propose advanced nuclear energy projects in New Jersey. The draft Expression of Interest (EOI) Guidance Document would determine what information developers must provide about local impacts, safety, costs to ratepayers, and other issues that matter to the public, and how the State will review those early proposals. Public input will help shape the final guidance before any company submits a project proposal to the NJBPU.

“We recognize that New Jerseyans have important questions about what new nuclear energy could mean for their bills, their communities, and the reliability of their electric service,” NJBPU President Ben Hertz-Shargel said. “Those questions deserve a place in this process from the beginning. We are asking the public to help us identify the information advanced nuclear energy developers should provide and the standards their proposals should meet so that the Board can make informed decisions grounded in the public interest.”

Nuclear power generated 44 percent of New Jersey’s in-state electricity in 2024 and represents more than 80 percent of the state’s clean energy supply. The Power NJ Act, signed into law this summer, directs the State to seek at least 1,100 megawatts of new advanced nuclear energy. The Act requires any potential project to provide a net benefit to ratepayers, setting strong safeguards in place throughout the project evaluation process.

 
Under the Power NJ Act, NJBPU, the Economic Development Authority (EDA), and the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) are developing a competitive process with five steps, the first of which is launching today:

1. Public Comment Period on Draft Guidance Document. Starting today, the public is encouraged to leave comment on the published draft of the guidance document and participate in the virtual public stakeholder meeting.
2. Call for proposals. Developers submit advanced nuclear project proposals, formally called “expressions of interest,” describing their design, licensing, costs, ratepayer impact, workforce, community benefits, and environmental effects.
3. Provisional qualification. The Board decides which proposals, if any, move forward. A project must be reasonably likely to benefit ratepayers to be provisionally qualified.
4. Negotiation. Qualified developers negotiate the terms that would govern their projects.
5. Final Board approval. The Board takes final action on any agreement.

How to participate:

Residents, ratepayers, community and faith organizations, labor, businesses, and industry are encouraged to review the draft, attend the November 16 session, and submit comments by December 4. To read the draft EOI guidance document and comment, visit https://cleanenergy.nj.gov/programs/advanced-nuclear.

Two efforts will run alongside the procurement:
•    Planning Study. NJBPU, DEP, and EDA are conducting a statewide study on the development of advanced reactors. Stakeholder meetings and opportunities for public engagement will begin in 2027.
•    Nuclear Task Force. Co-chaired by the Governor’s Office and NJBPU President Hertz-Shargel, the Task Force will review assumptions and study findings and advise on policy, technical, workforce, financial, and public engagement issues.

For more information on the Planning Study and the Task Force, please visit nj.gov/nuclear.

Starting October 1, New Jersey households can apply with one application for both the USF and federal LIHEAP benefits at: www.nj.gov/dca/dcaid. Customers can receive benefits from both programs at the same time.

 

About the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (NJBPU)

NJBPU is a state agency and regulatory authority mandated to ensure safe, adequate and proper utility services at reasonable rates for New Jersey customers. Critical services regulated by NJBPU include natural gas, electricity, water, wastewater, telecommunications and cable television. The Board has general oversight and responsibility for monitoring utility service, responding to consumer complaints and investigating utility accidents. To learn more, visit www.nj.gov/bpu.

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