Net Metering

Net metering lets a large power user take electricity from a nearby plant over private lines and settle only the net difference with the grid. In data center projects it is used when a campus sits next to a power plant, as in the proposed Amazon campus beside the Comanche Peak nuclear plant in Texas, where ERCOT reviewed a 1,200 MW load under a net-metering structure filed with the state regulator. The approach can shorten the wait for grid interconnection because most energy never crosses the public network, but regulators weigh who pays for grid services the campus still relies on. Terms depend on the market, and approval is usually a formal regulatory step, not a given. It is related to behind-the-meter supply, though a campus may still keep a grid connection for backup.