Rapidly rising demand for electricity is straining the electric grid and raising prices for consumers as lawmakers and regulatory authorities search for ways to bring more power online quickly to meet increasing data center needs and minimize rising costs. Pennsylvania is taking on a prominent role in meeting these energy needs due to its abundant power sources, including coal, natural gas, and nuclear infrastructure. Team Pennsylvania, a nonpartisan state partner focused on

The regional electric grid operator forecasts adequate energy to meet peak demand during the summer months across the Mid-Atlantic region, while the North American market monitor finds that record generation additions are helping to improve reliability in some regions. PJM Interconnection, which manages the electric grid across 13 states including Pennsylvania, expects to ensure reliable service during the hot weather months, when increased use of air conditioning drives up e

Retail rates for electricity rose significantly across the U.S. year-over-year between this February and last, but several Mid-Atlantic states including Pennsylvania and Ohio, saw higher than average increases, the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) recently reported. Data from the Electric Power Monthly report shows average revenue per kilowatt hour (kWh) increased by 9% annually to 14.36 cents but several states within the PJM Interconnection region saw much highe

Regional grid operator PJM Interconnection is rethinking how its wholesale electricity market is operated as it struggles to keep up with rising demand from data centers while keeping prices affordable for consumers. PJM is the Pennsylvania-based regional transmission organization that coordinates the movement of wholesale electricity in all or parts of 13 Mid-Atlantic and Midwest states and the District of Columbia. It recently published a white paper that assesses the curre

Pennsylvania’s utility regulator recently approved an order to guide how data centers and other energy-intensive customers can connect to the electric grid to ensure that existing ratepayers don’t shoulder the costs for infrastructure upgrades. The Public Utility Commission unanimously approved a model tariff for large load customers following an extensive review to address the rapid expansion of large load customers and the potential impacts on customer costs, infrastructure

A $1.7 billion high-voltage power line project to help the regional electric grid improve reliability and meet rising power demand in other parts of the Mid-Atlantic region is planned to be built through 10 Western and Central Pennsylvania counties. The Kammer-Juniata Project is a 765-kilovolt (kV) line that will span 220 miles from the Kammer substation in northern West Virginia, through Greene, Fayette, and eight other counties to the Juniata substation in Perry County. It

Legislation to ensure that data centers pay for their energy usage is coming to the forefront in both Pennsylvania’s legislature and Congress. As energy prices continue to rise and demand for power from data center projects explodes, legislators want to make sure that the costs of adding generation to the electric grid and upgrading electrical infrastructure are not passed along to residential and small business utility ratepayers. The Pennsylvania House recently approved the

A new, $17 billion natural gas-fueled power plant in Southwestern Pennsylvania was announced last week by the White House as part of a $550 billion joint strategic trade and investment agreement with Japan. The facility, called Project Mon South, was one of three large energy projects announced as part of a summit meeting between President Donald Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi. Other projects announced include a $16 billion natural gas generation plant in T

Residential electric customers are increasingly being drawn to easy-to-install portable solar panels that simply plug into an electrical outlet and provide enough energy to shave some money off their rising utility bills. Also known as plug-in solar panels or balcony solar, the panels are a low-cost option that is available to renters and homeowners when a traditional residential rooftop solar system is not an option. The panels, which can be placed on a balcony, outside a wi

The amount of new electric generating capacity forecast to be added to utility grids across the U.S. in 2026 is expected to set another record, a new report indicates. Power plant operators plan to add 86 gigawatts (GW) of utility-scale generation in the coming year, the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) recently reported in its Preliminary Monthly Electric Generator Inventory report. The standing record was set in 2025, when 53 GW of new capacity was added, the

Up to half of data centers scheduled to become operational in 2026 may be delayed due to power constraints, supply chain issues and community opposition, a new report found. The report by Sightline Climate , an energy transition research and intelligence company, tracks 777 hyperscale data centers announced globally since 2024, which account for 190 gigawatts (GW) of electricity demand for about 140 projects. It found that while more than 16 GW of capacity is scheduled to com

As the demand for power keeps rising with the rapid development of AI data centers, natural gas is increasingly being seen as the leading source of fuel for electric generation. A recent report from Global Energy Monitor , an organization that develops and analyzes data on energy infrastructure and uses with the goal of building a sustainable energy future, found that the U.S. now has the most gas-fired power capacity being developed and accounts for nearly one-quarter of the

After pressure from federal and state officials, regional electric grid operator PJM Interconnection has agreed to extend its price cap on some wholesale energy costs for an additional two years. Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro recently announced the extension of the cap on the maximum price PJM will pay for guaranteed electricity during its twice-yearly capacity auctions. The cap was first put in place in 2024. “This is going to save 67 million Americans $27 billion on their

Electricity rates across the PJM regional grid have risen sharply over the past eight years, and Pennsylvania customers have seen the biggest increase, a recent report found. The research brief by the state Independent Fiscal Office (IFO) determined that average prices for Pennsylvania residents increased by 46.1% between 2018 and 2025, compared to 40.1% for Ohio, 39.1% for Virginia and 41% for all other Mid-Atlantic states in the PJM region. Pennsylvania’s average electrici

Energy is a main focus in Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro’s fiscal 2026-27 budget proposal, as he continues to push to keep electric rates down for residential customers while also encouraging economic development. Part of his $53.2 billion budget proposal addresses the development of data centers in the state, which have become an increasing concern to communities and the primary source of surging electric demand. That has sent costs across the PJM regional electric grid up

The Mid-Atlantic power grid operated by PJM Interconnection withstood the recent winter storm that brought heavy snow and arctic temperatures to the area, but not without concerns and precautionary measures. Winter Storm Fern hit much of the East with a prolonged period of extremely cold temperatures, raising concerns about whether the PJM grid that serves 13 Mid-Atlantic states, including Pennsylvania, would exceed its all-time winter peak hourly demand of 143,700 megawatts

Energy demand forecasts will struggle to keep up with the development of hyperscale data centers in the coming years, a new report from a leading data analysis and consulting company indicates. The 2026 U.S. Data Centers and Energy Report , compiled by S&P Global Market Intelligence, indicates that a spike in demand for electricity that has been roiling the energy markets for several years will continue to accelerate. The report projects that power demand from data centers in

The rising demand and cost for energy has put the issue at the forefront of policy discussions at both the federal and state levels. Regional electric grid operator PJM Interconnection has been struggling to streamline and update its regulations to be able to quickly connect new power generation project to the grid at the same time it is seeing a rapid increase in electric demand from data center operators and other large-load customers. This has led to a supply-demand imbal

Governors of states in the PJM Interconnection regional footprint recently reached a statement of principles with federal officials at the White House on a plan to speed up construction of new power generation projects to meet rising data center demand while ensuring that the costs are paid by developers and not consumers. Pa. Gov. Josh Shapiro was one of the bipartisan group that met to sign the statement urging PJM to quickly take several actions, including keeping a pric

Another Pennsylvania nuclear plant has reached an agreement to supply power to a large AI data center developer as the race among big tech companies race to secure enough electricity for their projects. Meta recently announced a series of agreements up to 6.6 gigawatts of for nuclear power by 2035. One of them with Vistra , which operates the Beaver Valley nuclear plant in Beaver County and two others in Ohio. The 20-year power purchase agreement is for 2,176 megawatts (MW)