RI H7331

Data centers with electric demand of 50 megawatts or greater must bear all costs for planning, construction, expansion, operation, and maintenance of electric generation, transmission, and distribution facilities needed to serve them

Residential customers and non-data center commercial customers are prohibited from having these infrastructure costs recovered from them through utility rates

Electric distribution companies must establish dedicated rate classes, tariffs, or contracts specifically for large data centers to ensure proper cost allocation

Data centers must annually report water usage to the Department of Environmental Management, including average and peak daily withdrawals, cooling technologies used, and water recycling practices

The Energy Facility Siting Board must consult with the Public Utilities Commission on ratepayer impacts when reviewing applications for electric facilities serving data centers, and may require financial assurance for site restoration