Electricity Is Becoming Unbelievably Expensive as the US Power Grid Decays Into Ruin

"The US electrical grid is facing a stress test like never before. Thanks to a perfect storm of AI power consumption, climate crisis, crony capitalism, and a president bent on uprooting perfectly good energy infrastructure, the country's already-struggling power system is rapidly crumbling as costs balloon into the stratosphere. A recent analysis by Bloomberg underscores just how dire it's getting."

"Spanning from Indiana to eastern New Jersey, PJM's footprint includes some 65 million residents, as well as a constellation of tech industry mega-sites known as Data Center Alley. While the cost of electricity is expected to rise drastically with the growth of AI over the next few years, Bloomberg notes that, in PJM states like Michigan, Ohio, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania, nearly 25 percent of residents already can't afford their utility bills."

"As this is happening, the actual condition of the grid is decaying rapidly. A recent report by Bank of America found that nearly a third of transmission infrastructure, like high voltage transmission lines or substations, is already near or beyond its useful life span. Meanwhile, a whopping 46 percent of US distribution infrastructure, including utility poles and power line transformers, was found to be in a similar state."

The US electrical grid is under intense strain from rising AI power demand, climate impacts, crony capitalism, and policy moves against green infrastructure. Power costs in the PJM Interconnection region have hit record highs for two consecutive years, affecting roughly 65 million residents and concentrated data center demand. In several PJM states nearly 25 percent of residents cannot afford utility bills. National electricity prices rose at more than twice the rate of inflation last year. A Bank of America report found about one-third of transmission and 46 percent of distribution infrastructure are near or beyond useful life.

Read at Futurism