Utility advocates in Maryland are warning that AI data centers operating in neighboring states could drive up electricity costs for Maryland ratepayers, citing how regional grid dynamics transmit cost burdens across state lines. The concern centers on transmission and capacity charges that flow through PJM, the regional grid operator serving much of the Mid-Atlantic. No specific dollar figure was named in the filing, but advocates called for regulatory review of how large-load additions in adjacent states affect Maryland rate structures.
This is an early example of a state's utility advocates formally raising cross-border ratepayer cost arguments tied to data center growth in other jurisdictions, a dynamic that could prompt multi-state regulatory coordination. If this argument gains traction at the PUC level, it could add a new layer of review to data center interconnection approvals across the PJM footprint.
Keywords 'utility advocates,' 'electric bills,' 'Marylanders,' and 'AI data centers' triggered selection; the cross-state ratepayer impact framing is a distinct and consequential regulatory angle not covered in previously published stories.