State Corporation Commission; certificate of operation for high load facilities.

State Corporation Commission; certificate of operation for high load facilities. Prohibits any person from operating a high load facility, defined in the bill as a facility whose electricity demand exceeds 25 megawatts that was not operating before July 1, 2026, without first having obtained a certificate of operation from the State Corporation Commission. The bill requires the Commission to permit the operation of a high load facility upon a finding that such facility and associated facilities (i) will have no material adverse effect upon the rates paid by customers of any regulated public utility in the Commonwealth, taking into account any likely generation, transmission, or distribution needs attributable to the operation of the high load facility; (ii) will have no material adverse effect upon reliability of electric service provided by any regulated public utility; (iii) would be consistent with the Commonwealth Clean Energy Policy; and (iv) are not otherwise contrary to the public interest. The bill requires the Commission to consider certain factors in a review of a petition for a certificate to operate a high load facility, including whether there is sufficient energy, capacity, and grid infrastructure to support the operation of the high load facility and whether the operation of the high load facility would create an unreasonable cross-subsidy across customers served by the incumbent electric utility. Finally, the bill requires the Commission to conduct a proceeding to establish minimum criteria for the issuance of a certificate of operation for a high load facility and requirements for public notice and an opportunity for hearing.