AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 5; Title 6; Title 7; Title 10; Title 62; Title 65; Title 68 and Title 69, relative to data centers.
HB2061 creates a new regulatory framework for large data centers in Tennessee, defined as privately owned facilities with more than 20 megawatts of power capacity. Beginning January 1, 2027, a data center may not operate unless it is registered with the Tennessee Public Utility Commission. To register, the owner or operator must provide identifying and operational information, including the facility’s address, responsible contact information, estimated power capacity, utilities serving the site, and the number of on-site employees, and must update the registration when that information changes.
The bill also requires electric and water utilities serving registered data centers to report monthly usage data to the commission, and in some cases to provide monthly service-rate information for the prior 12 months and going forward. The commission must compile these reports into monthly public reports on its website showing each data center’s reported electricity and water use and the rates charged by utilities serving them. The bill authorizes civil penalties for noncompliance and allows the commission to seek injunctive relief in Davidson County Chancery Court to stop continuing violations. The act takes effect July 1, 2026, with rulemaking authority granted to the commission.
HB2061 would add a new part to Title 65 governing data centers and would impose statewide registration, reporting, and public disclosure requirements on large data centers and the utilities that serve them. It affects data center owners and operators, electric utilities, water utilities, and the Tennessee Public Utility Commission by creating new compliance duties, recordkeeping obligations, and enforcement tools, including administrative penalties and injunctive relief. The bill also overrides conflicting laws to the extent necessary to require utility reporting and publication of the compiled data.
No committee transcripts or recorded votes were provided, so there is no direct evidence of debate, amendments, or partisan division in the available record. Based on the bill text, the measure appears aimed at transparency and oversight of data center resource use rather than restricting data center operations outright. The overall tone of the legislation is regulatory and administrative, with a focus on public reporting and utility accountability.
The most likely points of contention are privacy, proprietary business information, and the burden placed on data center operators and utilities to disclose operational and rate information. Data center owners may object to mandatory registration, ongoing updates, and public reporting of electricity and water consumption, while utilities may object to new reporting obligations and the requirement to disclose service rates. Supporters would likely emphasize transparency, resource planning, and oversight of large energy- and water-intensive facilities, but no specific supporters or opponents are identified in the available materials.