Statement on Proposal for a PJM Power Auction for Data Centers
Earthjustice responds to a call by the National Energy Dominance Council and PJM governors
Contacts
Kathryn McGrath, kmcgrath@earthjustice.org
A bipartisan group of governors and the National Energy Dominance Council called on grid operator PJM to hold a one-time auction to provide data centers with new sources of power.
Statement of Nick Lawton, Earthjustice attorney:
“Protecting consumers from paying data centers’ energy bills is important. If the Department of Energy were serious about affordability, it would be greenlighting clean energy, not taking extraordinary, unlawful measures to stop the quickest and cheapest solution we have. The auction proposed today might help protect consumers—but only if it’s designed and implemented right. If the auction is badly designed, it could lock in dirty, expensive infrastructure and harm already overburdened communities–even where states, citizens, and tech companies all want clean energy. Residential customers should not be on the hook for data centers’ energy demands, but the details in this plan matter. Prioritizing new power plants for data centers could harm the hundreds of clean, low-cost projects that have been waiting to plug into the PJM grid for years.”
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Earthjustice is the premier nonprofit environmental law organization. We wield the power of law and the strength of partnership to protect people's health, to preserve magnificent places and wildlife, to advance clean energy, and to combat climate change. We are here because the earth needs a good lawyer.