FILE-This aerial view shows the Perry Nuclear Power Plant on the shores of Lake Erie in North Perry, Ohio, May 20, 2005. (AP Photo/Mark Duncan, File)

For 67 million people relying on electricity from the regional power grid, PJM, cheaper utility bills in 2026 are little more than a pipe dream.

It’s not an unexpected blow, despite moves from the Trump administration and state regulators to keep prices in check. Why? Because there’s simply not enough power generation — from gas and nuclear plants, wind and solar farms and battery storage reserves — to feed the grid.

PJM’s latest capacity auction, which determines power supply for the coming year, reveals rapidly rising load forecasts, primarily driven by AI-powered data centers, meaning residents across the mid-Atlantic, Washington D.C., and parts of the Midwest will pay more for a less reliable grid.

In its report on the 2027-2028 Base Residual Auction, PJM said it secured 134,479 MW of unforced capacity generation at $333.44/MW-day — an increase of 1.3% over the prior year.

That leaves the grid 6,623 MW short, which is enough supply to power roughly 6.6 million homes.

Stu Bresler, PJM’s incoming chief operating officer, said customers in its territory shouldn’t assume the worst, pointing to sufficient reserves to cover a “once-in-10-year” event. The term describes an industry-wide reliability standard that requires power grid operators to secure enough supply to limit blackouts to once every decade. However, it’s not a guarantee due to unpredictable weather or market conditions.

“But this auction leaves no doubt that data centers’ demand for electricity continues to far outstrip new supply, and the solution will require concerted action involving PJM, its stakeholders, state and federal partners, and the data center industry itself,” Bresler said.

PJM said its peak load forecast is approximately 5,250 MW higher than in the 2026-2027 capacity auction, with nearly 5,100 MW of that increase attributable to data center demand. The cleared resource mix includes 43% natural gas, 21% nuclear, 20% coal, 5% demand response, 4% hydro, 2% wind, 2% oil and 1% solar.

A joint statement from the Electric Power Supply Association and PJM Power Providers Group warned that customers enjoyed record low supply prices over the last decade, however, a new era has dawned and there is a cost to building the projected necessary resources on the timeline required.