Governors push for more sway over biggest US grid as power bills surge

Source: Reuters

September 22, 2025 2:13 PM EDT Updated 4 hours ago


NEW YORK, Sept 22 (Reuters) - Governors of more than a quarter of U.S. states pushed on Monday for greater influence over PJM Interconnection, the country's biggest power grid, where electricity prices are surging as AI data center demand outpaces the connection of new supplies.

Rising power bills in PJM, which operates the grid covering 13 states and the District of Columbia, or one in five Americans, have led to a political backlash over the last year and threats by some governors to abandon the regional grid. "This is a crisis of not having enough power," Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin said. "This is a crisis in confidence."

Youngkin made his remarks at a gathering of governors in Philadelphia, where he called on PJM to re-open its process for nominating board members. Youngkin and other governors want their states to have more say in how PJM operates, inspired by models in the Midwest and New England.

The power grid, which holds the largest concentration of energy-intensive data centers in the world, is a member-run organization in which states do not have a vote. PJM is governed by a board of managers, and its voting members include transmission line owners and independent power plant operators.

Read more: https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/governors-push-more-sway-over-biggest-us-grid-power-bills-surge-2025-09-22/