Overview
- PowerLines, a nonprofit consumer group, reported Tuesday that 51 investor‑owned utilities plan at least $1.4 trillion through 2030 for power plants, transmission lines, and other grid upgrades.
- Utilities pointed to fast‑growing data centers as a key reason for higher spending, with 31 of 51 citing the sector on earnings calls and nine projecting more than 5 gigawatts of new load tied to these facilities.
- Because regulators must approve how costs are recovered, the buildout could lift household bills after a record $31 billion in rate increase requests in 2025 and roughly 40% bill growth since 2021.
- Spending is concentrated in the South at about $572 billion, and major players include Duke Energy at roughly $103 billion, NextEra at about $94 billion, and Southern Company near $81 billion, with PG&E also planning tens of billions.
- Advocates urge regulators to require lower‑cost options such as battery storage, grid‑enhancing technologies, and demand response before approving big projects, and they note data centers can ease rates if contracts cover their share, as tech firms also signed President Trump’s voluntary Ratepayer Protection Pledge in March.