New York State Assembly Republicans are asking the New York Power Authority to disclose the electricity rates and discount values provided to data centers through ReCharge New York, saying lawmakers and ratepayers need those figures to judge whether the public benefit delivers an adequate return.
In an Oct. 8 letter to NYPA President and CEO Justin Driscoll, released by the Assembly Republican Conference, members said recent reporting identified participating data centers in several regions but left unanswered questions about their financial arrangements.
The request is for greater disclosure, not an announcement that discounts have been canceled or a finding that any recipient violated program rules. The letter does not identify individual data centers, list their power allocations or calculate the total value of their discounts.
Lawmakers want costs measured against public benefits
Assembly Minority Leader Ed Ra, a Franklin Square Republican, and Assembly Energy Committee ranking member Scott Gray, a Watertown Republican, signed the letter with other conference members.
“New Yorkers should know what benefits are being provided to these facilities through state-administered programs,” Ra said in the accompanying release.
The lawmakers said economic-development incentives can help attract businesses and investment, but data centers' electricity needs and economic profile warrant closer examination than a general assertion that an allocation supports growth. They want an accounting of whether each allocation produces an adequate benefit for New Yorkers.
They acknowledged that sensitive business information should be protected. Their position is that NYPA can disclose costs and discount values without revealing proprietary customer information.
The letter also criticizes New York's move toward an all-electric economy, arguing that state energy policies have hurt affordability and available capacity. Those are the conference's policy arguments; the documents do not establish how much any particular data center or policy has added to household bills.
Signers include Brian Manktelow of the 130th Assembly District, Philip Palmesano of the 132nd, Andrea Bailey of the 133rd, Joshua Jensen of the 134th and John Lemondes Jr. of the 126th.
ReCharge ties power allocations to jobs and investment
ReCharge New York provides qualifying businesses and nonprofit organizations with lower-cost electricity in exchange for commitments that can include retaining or creating jobs, expanding operations and investing in New York facilities.
NYPA describes the program as an economic-development tool. In its July 28 allocation announcement, the authority said ReCharge offers contracts of up to seven years. Half the program's 910 megawatts comes from its Niagara and St. Lawrence hydroelectric facilities; the other half is power bought on the wholesale market.
That July round included more than 36 megawatts for 33 firms across the state, including Barilla America NY and Wegmans Food Markets. NYPA connected the awards to more than $2 billion in planned capital investment statewide and highlighted support for the Finger Lakes workforce.
Those examples show the broader program's reach; the Republican letter does not identify Barilla or Wegmans as data-center recipients or challenge their allocations. The new request focuses on whether the terms and benefits of data-center awards can be assessed publicly.
Gray's bill would assign large-user costs to those customers
The letter points to Gray's Assembly bill A11419, which would establish rules for negotiating electricity-service agreements with high-usage customers. The legislative record lists it in the Assembly Energy Committee, following its May 15 introduction; it has not become law.
The proposal addresses new service expected to reach 100 megawatts within five years and additional service expected to increase a customer's demand by at least that amount within five years. It also addresses certain private-generation arrangements.
For covered utility and connected-generation contracts, agreements would be negotiated individually and require Public Service Commission approval. The commission would have to find that the high-usage customer bears the incremental costs attributable to its service and that existing ratepayers do not bear those costs.
Gray said the purpose is to establish procedures for utilities and large electricity users while protecting communities and ordinary customers from an unfair burden on their bills. The proposal concerns service arrangements and cost allocation; it is separate from the letter's demand for disclosure of ReCharge discounts.
Electricity prices frame the request
The conference's release cited federal electricity data and described New York residential prices as about 60% above the national average, without specifying a comparison period.
The U.S. Energy Information Administration's latest monthly table, covering July 2026 and released Sept. 24, puts New York's average residential price at 29.90 cents per kilowatt-hour, compared with 18.31 cents nationally. That is about 63% higher. The figures are preliminary statewide averages, not the rate charged to a specific household or proof that data-center discounts caused the difference.
The supplied letter and release contain no NYPA response or estimate of potential savings to households from disclosure. The conference asks Driscoll to release the cost figures promptly but sets no specific response deadline.
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