Overview
- Sen. Ed Markey and six colleagues urged FERC to block transmission cost shifts tied to large loads, investigate unjust or preferential rates, and scrutinize load‑forecasting and interconnection policies affecting data centers.
- PJM’s market monitor reported that data‑center demand accounted for $9.3 billion, or 63% of the 2025–2026 capacity bill, a surge that utilities pass through to customers in states such as Virginia, Ohio and Illinois.
- Residents are already seeing higher bills in the PJM region, with Baltimore Gas and Electric customers reporting increases and PECO citing wholesale costs driven primarily by data‑center demand in recent rate hikes.
- Forecasts drawing scrutiny include overlapping or speculative projects, prompting FERC information requests, a new Texas law requiring developers to disclose other power requests and show financial commitment, and industry calls for commercial‑readiness verification.
- A new Next 10/UC Riverside analysis estimates California data centers used 10.8 TWh in 2023, nearly double 2019, with emissions and on‑site water use rising, while the industry disputes diesel‑generator and water‑attribution impacts; DOE estimates data centers used ~4.4% of U.S. electricity in 2023 and could reach 6.7%–12% by 2028.