As Maryland residents continue to face some of the nation’s fastest-rising electric bills, state lawmakers say they’re being held responsible for costs they have little power to control.
Lawmakers argue too much authority rests with PJM Interconnection, the regional grid operator that helps determine how electricity is generated and priced across Maryland and 12 other states across the mid-Atlantic. That question was at the center of a Federal Energy Regulatory Commission conference examining whether PJM’s governance has kept pace with rapidly changing electricity demands or if the operator should give states a stronger voice.
“When electricity bills go up, our constituents don’t call PJM. They call us,” said state Sen. Katie Fry Hester, chair of the Senate Energy Subcommittee, at the FERC conference last week.
Commission Chair Laura Swett said PJM has until September to advance reforms before federal regulators consider stronger action.
The review comes after a turbulent energy stretch for Maryland ratepayers.
This month’s capacity auction produced record-high prices after forecasts showed electricity demand climbing sharply, driven in part by new data centers, while older power plants were retired and new generation struggled to connect to the grid. Those higher wholesale costs eventually flowed through to utilities before ultimately landing on customers’ monthly electric bills.
PJM told The Baltimore Sun it welcomes the review.
Read the full story on The Baltimore Sun’s website.
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