"Delays by grid operator PJM and a booming demand from data centers are threatening New Jersey’s 2035 clean energy target and fueling political backlash."
"On June 1, New Jersey residents will face something they’ve dreaded for months: A nearly 20 percent rate increase in their electricity bills.
A leading state in climate policy, New Jersey is being squeezed by soaring energy demand from data centers and a sluggish connection of renewable sources by grid operator PJM Interconnection.
“That’s a historic spike,” Abraham Silverman, an energy researcher with the Ralph O’Connor Sustainable Energy Institute at Johns Hopkins University, said about the rate hike. State leaders have spent the past few months in fiery legislative hearings, filing a flurry of bills to try to cushion the financial blow to consumers and demanding an investigation of PJM by the federal government.
PJM is the largest electric grid operator in North America, servicing 65 million customers across 13 states and the District of Columbia. This month, PJM forecast that summer could be a challenge even with the rate hike. It expects to have enough electricity to meet typical peak demand, according to a company release, but warm weather energy demands could push the grid to its limit."
Rambo Talabong reports for Inside Climate News May 17, 2025.
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