President Donald Trump Calls for PJM Power Auction to Lower Data Center Costs
FOX Business correspondent Edward Lawrence reports on the Trump administration pushing new measures to curb rising energy demands of A.I. data centers on ‘America Reports.’
The Trump administration is taking significant steps to address the escalating energy demands of data centers, particularly those operated by major tech companies. The administration is urging the nation’s largest electric grid operator, PJM Interconnection, to conduct an emergency power auction. This initiative aims to ensure that tech giants contribute to the soaring costs associated with powering their data centers.
PJM Interconnection serves approximately 67 million customers across 13 states and Washington, D.C. The White House’s push for an auction is designed to alleviate rising power prices and mitigate the risk of blackouts in the Mid-Atlantic region, as reported by Reuters.
The proposed auction would enable tech firms to bid on 15-year power contracts from newly constructed plants, according to Bloomberg.
DATA CENTER BOOM POWERING AI REVOLUTION MAY DRAIN US GRIDS — AND WALLETS
President Donald Trump in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, D.C., on Nov. 21, 2025. ( Yuri Gripas/Abaca/Bloomberg via Getty Images / Getty Images)
On Friday, administration officials, including Energy Secretary Chris Wright and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, convened at the White House with a bipartisan group of governors. Their discussions focused on strategies to alleviate electricity price spikes related to data centers for households.
Later that day, PJM proposed that large data centers either secure their own power supply or face potential cutbacks during periods of high demand, as reported by Reuters.
DATA CENTERS IN OUTER SPACE EMERGE AS SOLUTION TO AI’S MASSIVE ENERGY REQUIREMENTS
A high-tech data center with server racks is pictured here. (iStock / iStock)
Electricity prices are already on the rise. According to December’s Consumer Price Index, power costs have increased by 6.7% compared to the previous year, which is more than double the overall inflation rate.
A recent study by Carnegie Mellon University and North Carolina State University predicts that data centers and cryptocurrency mining could lead to a more than 25% increase in average electricity bills in major data-center markets by 2030.
President Trump has emphasized that consumers should not bear the burden of the energy demands from Big Tech. In a recent post on Truth Social, he criticized the Biden administration for rising utility bills and asserted that Americans would not be forced to “pick up the tab” for data centers.
AMAZON DIGS DEEP FOR AI GOLD AS COPPER MINE PARTNERSHIP FUELS MASSIVE DATA CENTER EXPANSION
Electrical transmission poles and lines seen in Commerce, California, on Aug. 7, 2025. (Mike Blake/File Photo/REUTERS / Reuters)
In his post, Trump stated, “I never want Americans to pay higher electricity bills because of data centers.” He assured that his administration is collaborating with major American technology companies to secure their commitment to the American people, promising more announcements in the coming weeks.
FOX Business correspondent Edward Lawrence reports on the Trump administration pushing new measures to curb rising energy demands of A.I. data centers on ‘America Reports.’
The Trump administration is taking significant steps to address the escalating energy demands of data centers, particularly those operated by major tech companies. The administration is urging the nation’s largest electric grid operator, PJM Interconnection, to conduct an emergency power auction. This initiative aims to ensure that tech giants contribute to the soaring costs associated with powering their data centers.
PJM Interconnection serves approximately 67 million customers across 13 states and Washington, D.C. The White House’s push for an auction is designed to alleviate rising power prices and mitigate the risk of blackouts in the Mid-Atlantic region, as reported by Reuters.
The proposed auction would enable tech firms to bid on 15-year power contracts from newly constructed plants, according to Bloomberg.
DATA CENTER BOOM POWERING AI REVOLUTION MAY DRAIN US GRIDS — AND WALLETS
President Donald Trump in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, D.C., on Nov. 21, 2025. ( Yuri Gripas/Abaca/Bloomberg via Getty Images / Getty Images)
On Friday, administration officials, including Energy Secretary Chris Wright and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, convened at the White House with a bipartisan group of governors. Their discussions focused on strategies to alleviate electricity price spikes related to data centers for households.
Later that day, PJM proposed that large data centers either secure their own power supply or face potential cutbacks during periods of high demand, as reported by Reuters.
DATA CENTERS IN OUTER SPACE EMERGE AS SOLUTION TO AI’S MASSIVE ENERGY REQUIREMENTS
A high-tech data center with server racks is pictured here. (iStock / iStock)
Electricity prices are already on the rise. According to December’s Consumer Price Index, power costs have increased by 6.7% compared to the previous year, which is more than double the overall inflation rate.
A recent study by Carnegie Mellon University and North Carolina State University predicts that data centers and cryptocurrency mining could lead to a more than 25% increase in average electricity bills in major data-center markets by 2030.
President Trump has emphasized that consumers should not bear the burden of the energy demands from Big Tech. In a recent post on Truth Social, he criticized the Biden administration for rising utility bills and asserted that Americans would not be forced to “pick up the tab” for data centers.
AMAZON DIGS DEEP FOR AI GOLD AS COPPER MINE PARTNERSHIP FUELS MASSIVE DATA CENTER EXPANSION
Electrical transmission poles and lines seen in Commerce, California, on Aug. 7, 2025. (Mike Blake/File Photo/REUTERS / Reuters)
In his post, Trump stated, “I never want Americans to pay higher electricity bills because of data centers.” He assured that his administration is collaborating with major American technology companies to secure their commitment to the American people, promising more announcements in the coming weeks.
