The New Jersey Board of Public Utilities has revived a show‑cause proceeding that could impose up to $44.1 million in fines on Jersey Central Power & Light and opened a separate investigation into the utility’s response to early July storms. Regulators allege JCP&L missed the state’s Minimum Reliability Levels across 2022–2024, and about 230,000 customers lost power during the four‑day storm event. Stakeholders must file to intervene by Aug. 12 (Dockets EO25070453 and EO26070387), and utilities must submit post‑event reports within 20 days after major storms. JCP&L says it is investing more than $1 billion this year to improve reliability.
NJ Regulators Restart $44.1M Show‑Cause Case Against JCP&L After July Storm Outages
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New Jersey regulators have escalated enforcement actions against Jersey Central Power & Light (JCP&L), reopening a show‑cause proceeding that could result in fines of up to $44.1 million and launching a separate probe into the utility’s handling of widespread outages during storms in early July.
What the Board Says
On July 15 the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (BPU) voted to revive an enforcement docket alleging that JCP&L repeatedly failed to meet the state’s "Minimum Reliability Levels" for storm response and restoration between 2022 and 2024. Regulators say the utility’s statewide average customer response time "continued to worsen each year" and that the company did not sufficiently inspect equipment and circuits or adopt corrective measures to address systemic outages.
Scale of the July Outages
Over a four‑day period of severe thunderstorms, flooding, and damaging winds tied to the July 3 storm system, about 230,000 JCP&L customers across New Jersey lost power, including nearly 50,000 outages in Monmouth County. JCP&L serves roughly 1.1 million customers in the state.
Regulatory Process and Deadlines
The BPU is pursuing two parallel actions: restarting the reliability enforcement case (Docket No. EO25070453) and opening a new investigation into the July 3 storm response (Docket No. EO26070387). Commissioner Christine Guhl‑Sadovy has been assigned to oversee hearings in the revived reliability proceeding to help accelerate the process.
Organizations and members of the public who wish to intervene must file by Aug. 12 through the BPU Office of the Secretary at [email protected] or via the state’s online e‑filing system.
Reporting Requirements
The board reminded utilities that they are required to submit post‑event reports no later than 20 days after major storms. Those reports will help regulators evaluate whether staffing, preparedness, mutual assistance, and communications matched the scale of the emergency.
Company Response
JCP&L spokesperson Chris Hoenig: "JCP&L is committed to delivering safe, reliable electric service and we are investing more than $1 billion this year alone in enhancing reliability."
BPU President Ben Hertz‑Shargel: "New Jersey residents deserve safe, affordable, reliable electric service, and this proceeding reflects the Board's commitment to holding utilities accountable when they fail to meet our standards."
Next Steps
The BPU’s revival of the show‑cause case means potential penalties, hearings, and required corrective actions could follow if regulators find violations. Interested stakeholders should consider intervening before the Aug. 12 deadline. The board will review JCP&L’s post‑event filings and use the evidence to determine whether fines, remediation, or other remedies are warranted.
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