§ 7–233
Statutes in effect as of October 1, 2026.
Md. Code Ann., Pub. Util. § 7-233 (2026)
Title 7. Gas, Electric, and Water Companies
Subtitle 2. Electric Generation Facility Planning
§ 7–233LinkCopy Citation
(a)
On or before July 1, 2027, the Commission, by order or regulation, shall establish a large load customer registry to:
(1)
provide information relevant to planning at the electric distribution, State, and PJM levels; and
(2)
assist in ensuring accurate load forecasts at the electric distribution, State, and PJM levels.
(b)
(1)
The Commission shall develop a process for registration under this section.
(2)
The process shall:
(i)
apply to new or expanded interconnection of large load customers;
(ii)
require a large load customer to:
(1)
disclose all information about the large load customer as specified in this section;
(2)
disclose each of the large load customer’s duplicative interconnection requests and any associated information, as described in this section;
(3)
explain how the large load customer’s energy and capacity needs will be served and describe any anticipated arrangements, including arrangements:
(A)
with third parties; and
(B)
for new or existing generation and energy storage, whether on–site or off–site;
(4)
disclose information about the anticipated type of on–site backup generating facility that would be used in the event of a system outage;
(5)
disclose information about:
(A)
the amount of water that the large load customer will use each month;
(B)
the source of the water that will be used; and
(C)
the status of an application for a water appropriation or use permit submitted to the Department of the Environment or a water utility;
(6)
disclose the status and type of site control for the proposed location of the large load customer’s facility, including ownership or lease control;
(7)
disclose energy characteristics of the customer, including:
(A)
peak load;
(B)
anticipated load factor;
(C)
timing of requested service;
(D)
load ramp period;
(E)
annual energy usage; and
(F)
load profile or, if unavailable, a description of the large load customer’s average hourly use;
(8)
provide a description of the large load customer’s operation;
(9)
disclose the point of interconnection and address or coordinates of the large load customer; and
(10)
provide any other information the Commission considers necessary for the purposes identified in subsection (a) of this section; and
(iii)
establish any other standards that the Commission considers necessary.
(c)
(1)
Except as provided in subsection (e) of this section, a large load customer shall register with the Commission in accordance with this section:
(i)
within 30 days after signing a Federal Energy Regulatory Commission–Jurisdictional Agreement with an electric company; or
(ii)
within 30 days after an electric company provides to the Commission and the large load customer the information required in paragraph (2) of this subsection.
(2)
An electric company shall provide written notice to the Commission and a large load customer when the electric company provides to PJM information related to the large load customer that may impact PJM forecasts or markets.
(d)
Electric companies and large load customers shall provide to the Commission within the timelines set by the Commission:
(1)
updated information regarding a registered large load customer, including if:
(i)
a new duplicative interconnection request becomes known; or
(ii)
there is a change in the status of a duplicative interconnection request; and
(2)
any other information that the Commission considers relevant.
(e)
(1)
Within 60 days after receiving an application for registration under this section, including all information required under subsection (b) of this section, the Commission shall certify whether a registration under this section is complete.
(2)
If the Commission determines that the registration information is incomplete, the Commission may extend any time frame provided in an order or regulation adopted in accordance with this section.
(f)
(1)
The Commission shall charge a registration fee of not less than $1,000 per megawatt of the peak load of the large load customer.
(2)
The fee revenue received under paragraph (1) of this subsection shall be used only as follows:
(i)
50% for the electric universal service program established under § 5–5A–08 of the Human Services Article; and
(ii)
50% for the program established under § 7–224 of this subtitle.
(g)
(1)
The Commission shall impose penalties against a large load customer if the large load customer:
(i)
fails to register in accordance with this section; or
(ii)
intentionally misleads the Commission in its registration.
(2)
The Commission may direct proceeds collected from a penalty imposed under paragraph (1) of this subsection to be provided to existing electric customers in the same service territory as the large load customer.
(h)
(1)
Except as specified in paragraph (2) of this subsection, confidential commercial or financial information disclosed to the Commission by a large load customer in accordance with subsection (b)(2)(ii) of this section:
(i)
shall be considered protected from disclosure under § 4–335 of the General Provisions Article before the large load customer is operational; and
(ii)
may be disclosed by the Commission:
(1)
in a manner that is consistent with Title 4 of the General Provisions Article when the large load customer becomes operational; or
(2)
notwithstanding item (i) of this paragraph:
(A)
in accordance with paragraph (2) of this subsection;
(B)
if the information has been made public by any person; or
(C)
if the information is aggregated and anonymized as described in subsection (j)(2) of this section.
(2)
The Commission shall establish a procedure for the disclosure of confidential commercial and financial information provided in accordance with subsection (b)(2)(ii) of this section to a unit of State government, PJM, or another person if considered appropriate by the Commission and only for the purpose of accurate load forecasting, transmission planning, or other reasons the Commission considers necessary.
(3)
A person authorized to access confidential information under paragraph (2) of this subsection shall keep the information accessed confidential.
(i)
Beginning July 1, 2027, an electric company may not submit a large load adjustment request to PJM unless the large load customer has completed the registration process under this section.
(j)
(1)
On or before October 1, 2027, and each October 1 thereafter, the Commission shall report to the Senate Committee on Education, Energy, and the Environment and the House Environment and Transportation Committee, in accordance with § 2–1257 of the State Government Article, on the large load customer registry required under this section.
(2)
The report:
(i)
shall include information disclosed in subsection (b)(2)(ii) of this section aggregated by each electric company service territory;
(ii)
may not disclose confidential commercial or financial information as described in subsection (b)(2)(ii) of this section unless the information:
(1)
consists of energy characteristics identified in subsection (b)(2)(ii)7A, C, and D of this section, provided that the information has been anonymized and projects are only identified by electric company service territory;
(2)
is:
(A)
used by an electric company for the identification of duplicative interconnection requests both in and outside the State; and
(B)
anonymized and projects are identified only by electric company service territory; or
(3)
has been previously disclosed to the public; and
(iii)
shall include any other information regarding large load customers as a whole in an electric company’s service territory that the Commission considers appropriate.
(3)
If there is only one large load customer identified within an electric company service territory that is not the subject of a duplicative interconnection request, the Commission may report that large load customer’s information in an aggregated manner in conjunction with data from an adjacent electric company’s service territory in order to preserve anonymity.
(4)
All information provided in the report submitted under this subsection may be used publicly by the Commission.