Data centers are driving a 76% surge in PJM power prices—is it permanent? (E&E News)
Massive AI load in the nation’s largest grid market keeps outpacing supply. In Q1, this sent the cost of wholesale PJM power to $136.53/MWh. That’s up from $77.78/MWh during the same period in 2025.
Yikes: PJM’s independent market monitor warned that price impacts on mid-Atlantic and Midwestern customers "are not reversible"...and will get even worse if data center load issues aren’t addressed ASAP.
The structural imbalance: In PJM’s most recent two future capacity auctions, projected data center load spurred a $13B cost increase for ratepayers across the grid footprint.