Trump and Mid-Atlantic governors want tech companies to pay for new power plants

The Trump administration, alongside a bipartisan group of Mid-Atlantic governors, is pressuring PJM Interconnection, the US's largest electricity market, to conduct an "emergency" power auction. This auction would offer 15-year contracts intended to guarantee revenue for building massive new power generation capacity needed to serve increasing electricity demand, particularly from data centers. The governors, including Democrats from Pennsylvania and Maryland, signed a joint statement with Secretary of Interior Doug Burgum and Secretary of Energy Chris Wright, though neither the White House nor the governors can mandate the auction, and PJM was reportedly not invited to the announcement. The Department of Energy (DOE) specifically advocates that data centers should bear more cost for new infrastructure than residential customers, suggesting they either build their own power or agree to curtail usage during shortages. This potential auction could lead to $15 billion in new power generation, contrasting with the Trump administration's simultaneous push for fossil fuels while hindering the growth of wind and solar farms.

(Source：The Verge)