Ohio Has the Solution to Pennsylvania’s Power Problems

Originally published by the Scranton Times-Tribune.

Nearly two-thirds of Pennsylvanians agree: Energy is unaffordable. Pennsylvania’s average residential electricity price was 11 percent higher this July than a year earlier, and it has risen by 45 percent since 2018—more than in Ohio, Virginia, or the rest of the states on the PJM grid.

But what’s causing this spike in electricity prices? Basic supply-and-demand economics explains.

Pennsylvania businesses and households are paying for an energy gap. Their electricity bills are rising because the regional grid run by PJM cannot add supply fast enough to keep pace with surging demand, led by data centers. In its most recent capacity auction, PJM fell 6,831 megawatts short of its reliability requirement for the 2028–2029 delivery year—the rough equivalent of seven gas-fired power plants.

Read more at the Scranton Times-Tribune.