While the Murphy administration and others have targeted PJM for the sole reason of a 20% spike in energy costs, another respected voice in the energy community has pointed it right back at the administration’s electric-centric energy policies as the primary culprit.
In an op-ed in the USA Today News Network this week, former Board of Public Utilities Commissioner Mary-Anna Holden said the energy policies of the Murphy administration, which primarily removed natural gas and nuclear as sources before the advance of solar and wind effectively drove up costs because New Jersey was at a stark energy imbalance of supply and demand.
“The truth is that this state’s energy policy has gone off the rails,” Holden wrote. “I’ve seen good intentions turn into costly failures when they lack fact-based planning.
“Instead of chasing artificial deadlines and politically popular incentives, our leaders should be focused on real-world physics and economics.
“This means revisiting the Energy Master Plan, rethinking electrification mandates and supporting a balanced generation mix that includes reliable, low-emission sources like natural gas and nuclear while continuing to develop meaningful renewables at a pace our infrastructure can handle.”
New Jersey, under the governor’s Energy Master Plan, set a target to achieve 100% clean energy by 2035 mostly through offshore wind, solar expansion and other energy efficiency programs.
When the plan was introduced five years ago, NJBIA Deputy Chief Government Affairs Officer Ray Cantor predicted the current supply and demand challenges and energy cost spikes currently taking place.
Said Cantor: “From the day the EMP was announced, we have continuously warned that creating policies that set artificial deadlines for actions and discouraging new generation from sources that include natural gas and nuclear will result in much higher energy prices for our residents and businesses. And here we are.
“We continue to urge the administration and our legislative leadership to be open to a true, all-of-the-above approach for energy generation, which includes natural gas and more nuclear power. We need to be realistic and not ideological when it comes to our energy policy in New Jersey.”
To read Holden’s op-ed, click here.