HARRISBURG – Some Republican House lawmakers are pushing for passage of the PA Electricity Ratepayer Protection Act which will reverse the conditions for rising electricity costs, prevent data center infrastructure costs from reaching ratepayers, and increase electricity generation across the state. The PA Public Utility Commission announced another round of electricity price increases across the state effective June 1. Increased power prices are a recurring theme because the available electricity supply cannot keep up with the demand which comes mainly from data centers across the system. Because there is no policy requiring data centers to build their own power supply, those data companies are competing with PA ratepayers for the limited supply. The measure requires data centers to construct their own electricity generation rather than drawing power from existing generation assets in the public supply. It also requires data centers to pay the full cost of electric infrastructure and grid connections needed for their projects, rather than placing those costs on PA ratepayers. And it requires PA electric utilities to enter long-term power purchase agreements on behalf of ratepayers, thereby giving ratepayers the competitive, economic benefits currently extended to large data companies. The measure currently awaits consideration in the PA House Energy Committee.
