In response reporting on the deal reached by PJM state governors that will cap prices for the next two years and trigger an emergency power auction requiring big tech companies to pay for the additional supply needed to power their data centers, Evergreen Action Director of Strategic Initiatives for States Julia Kortrey released the following statement:
“The deal announced today shows the tremendous bipartisan pressure to rein in rising energy prices driven by PJM Interconnection. This deal contains some important steps forward, including a two year price cap and requirements for big tech companies to bring their own generation to supply energy guzzling data centers, but the work is not done. The omission of clean energy from this announcement is glaring. Clean energy sources are the fastest and cheapest way to get power online to meet skyrocketing data center demand. Without fixing PJM’s broken interconnection process and allowing ready-to-build clean energy resources onto the grid, this deal could amount to little more than a band aid over a mortal wound.
“Governors were left with no choice but to escalate their efforts to hold PJM accountable for its continued failures. The grid operator has spent the last year ignoring increasingly desperate calls from consumers and state leaders to ensure the grid can provide affordable reliable power to the millions of people they serve—doing nothing while demand and prices continue to surge. PJM has shown us that they are beholden to the profit motives of their member companies, not the people who depend on the grid they run. Governors must keep the pressure on PJM until they actually fix their broken processes and allow clean energy supply onto the grid to address this crisis.
“While the White House attempts to take credit for this deal that governors have been working on for months, they are continuing their full-on assault against the clean energy sources we need to stabilize the grid and energy prices across the country. Don’t be fooled by Trump’s bluster: his crusade against clean energy is making the energy affordability crisis worse with each passing day.”
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