HARRISBURG, June 5, 2026, 07:06 EDT
Pennsylvania House Republicans want large data centers to cover their own power and grid expenses, moving a bill after new electricity-price hikes hit this week.
Williams, Topper push plan as utilities reset supply rates June 1The proposal from Reps. Craig Williams and Jesse Topper comes with utilities about to reset default supply prices on June 1 and as households head into peak summer electricity use. Williams said “Pennsylvania families and small businesses are paying more” while large data centers look for power on a grid that’s already tight. Pennsylvania House Republican Caucus
Utilities across Pennsylvania are feeling the squeeze. The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission said June 1 that PECO’s residential Price to Compare moved up to 11.759 cents per kilowatt-hour from 11.024 cents. Penelec, UGI Electric and West Penn Power all logged double-digit or close to double-digit increases as well.
PECO bills set to rise about $5 on higher supply costs
PECO is the main electricity supplier in the Philadelphia area. PECO said higher supply costs will tack on about $5 to the average monthly bill. Candice Womer, who speaks for the company, told WHYY, “affordability is a concern for our customers.” WHYY
Pennsylvania House Republicans rolled out a plan called the Pennsylvania Electricity Ratepayer Protection Act, with three parts: “bring your own generation,” which would make big new users bring or buy extra power; “pay your own way,” aimed at ending grid upgrade costs being pushed to regular customers; and new price rules to stop data centers from getting cheaper electricity than small firms or households. Franklin County Free Press
Data centers are in focus mainly for their heavy power use, with AI-focused builds leading the way. PJM Interconnection, which runs the grid across Pennsylvania, 12 other states, and Washington, D.C., faces stress from surging demand, slow power-plant hookups, and pricier capacity charges—funds designed to keep power flowing when usage spikes.
The state has already taken some steps. In April, the PUC signed off on a large-load tariff framework for users topping 50 megawatts on their own or 100 megawatts combined. The move puts the cost of new infrastructure needed for these customers on those users. PUC Chairman Steve DeFrank said regulators decided to step in now instead of waiting for the problem to “overwhelm the system.” Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission
PJM capacity prices jumped this week, with rates moving from $28.92 per megawatt-day in 2024/25 up to $329.17 for 2026/27, according to the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis. Analysts pointed to signs they called severe. The group linked much of the increase to demand forecasts led by data center growth.
But pinning the blame just on data centers misses other issues. Paul Patterson, energy analyst at Glenrock Associates, said PJM’s higher prices also come from capacity-market rules, uncertainty around resource accreditation, and a crowded interconnection queue. Jacques Beaudry-Losique, founder of GridSparq, said the AI build-out calls for faster generation and transmission. “We can’t do this very well today,” he said. DataCenterKnowledge
Utilities and state regulators are pointing customers to bill help programs while policy debates continue. PECO offers LIHEAP, its Customer Assistance Program, weatherization support, hardship grants, payment plans, and budget billing. NBC10 Philadelphia featured these resources too after the June 1 rate changes across the state.
Bill faces political test as it sits with the House Energy Committee. Williams and Topper said lawmakers still have to decide if they’ll move from talk of ratepayer protection to actual rules. It’s not clear if that will happen before the next round of large-load projects gets to the grid.
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