These lines may not run past your house — but the costs still can.
Across the US, region after region has watched power bills climb as giant data centers plugged into
the grid. These are the documented cases — each one mapped, and walked through one step at a time, so
you can see who's driving the demand, what gets built, who
ends up paying, and how the cost reaches the line item on your bill.
A fair caveat up front: bills are rising for several reasons, and data centers are a primary driver
in these regions — not the only one. Many headline figures are planned buildout totals or
wholesale prices (roughly 30–50% of a retail bill), so each case flags what's already on
bills versus what's still projected. For whether data centers explain your bill this month,
see
are data centers raising electricity prices?
Pick a region — 10 cases, ranked by how much new grid there is to map:
CASE 01 / 10Data Center Alley · Loudoun County, VirginiaAlready on bills
How one cluster of data centers rewired the grid — and reached your bill
A real map of Northern Virginia: the actual 230 kV and 500 kV transmission backbone, the highways you drive, and the new high-voltage corridors being built to feed the world's densest concentration of data centers. Step through the five frames — or use the ← → arrow keys.
STEP 1 / 5
Data center Households · pay
Typical household bill · illustrative
baseline
The scale of the load — and who pays for it
Data Center Alley
4,900 MW
≈ same power as
Households
~4 million homes
… but each home only
A typical home
~1.2 kW
One customer draws the power of millions of homes, concentrated at a single
point — yet the grid built to serve it is paid for by every Dominion household — and ratepayers across 13 PJM states, the households on the map, who each use
a tiny fraction.
How the cost reaches you
Data centerload
→
Gridupgrade
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“Reliability”cost rule
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Dominion / PJMrecovers cost
→
Yourbill
N. Virginia — by the numbers
4,900+ MW
Operating data-center load in Northern Virginia — plus ~5,000 MW more planned.
+833%
PJM's 2024 capacity auction for 2025–26, which flows to bills across 13 states.
~$4.9B
PJM transmission lines through Loudoun & Maryland, socialized to all Virginia ratepayers.
+$17 / mo
Baltimore (BGE) average bill jump after the record PJM auction.
+$13.60 / mo
Dominion residential base-rate increase (~9%).
85%
Share of reserved grid a 25 MW+ data center must pre-pay under Virginia’s new GS-5 class (from 2027).
Who ultimately pays: every Dominion household — and ratepayers across 13 PJM states.
Sources: Transmission & road geometry — OpenStreetMap contributors. Proposed MARL / Valley Link routes are approximate, drawn in their real direction; final routes pending state approval. Figures — PJM, IEEFA, Virginia SCC, Bloomberg, PolitiFact.
Caveat: The household bill in the meter is illustrative. Documented examples: Baltimore (BGE) +$17/mo after the record PJM auction; Dominion residential base rate +$13.60/mo (~9%). Some headline percentages are wholesale prices (≈30–50% of a retail bill), not the whole bill.
CASE 02 / 10ERCOT · Permian Basin → the load centersOn bills + projected
Texas is building the biggest grid expansion in the country — and rates are already up 30%
ERCOT has more than 220 GW of large-load interconnection requests pending — over 70% of it data centers — on top of booming oil-and-gas electrification. The fix is the largest transmission build in the US: 3,400+ miles of new 765 kV. Step through how it reaches a Texas bill.
STEP 1 / 5
Data center Households · pay
Typical household bill · illustrative
baseline
The scale of the load — and who pays for it
Texas’s data-center requests
~150 GW of requests
≈ same power as
Households
more than every home in America — if built
… but each home only
A typical home
~1.2 kW
One customer draws the power of millions of homes, concentrated at a single
point — yet the grid built to serve it is paid for by ERCOT residential customers statewide, the households on the map, who each use
a tiny fraction.
How the cost reaches you
Data centerload
→
Gridupgrade
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“Reliability”cost rule
→
ERCOTrecovers cost
→
Yourbill
Texas — by the numbers
220+ GW
Pending large-load interconnection requests — over 70% from data centers.
3,400+ mi
New extra-high-voltage 765 kV in the Strategic Transmission Expansion Plan (STEP).
~$33B
To build STEP; approaching ~$100B over its lifetime (TPPF estimate).
+30%
Texas residential rates since 2020, largely from grid built for large users.
+29%
Further residential increase projected by 2030.
SB 6
New 2025 law: curtailment, backup generation, and a transmission cost-share for data centers.
Who ultimately pays: ERCOT residential customers statewide.
Sources: State outline — public-domain US census geometry. 765 kV corridors are schematic, drawn in their real direction (Permian Basin to the eastern load centers); final STEP routes are set by ERCOT/PUCT. Figures — ERCOT, PUCT (STEP / Permian Basin Reliability Plan), Texas Public Policy Foundation, Texas Tribune, E&E News.
Caveat: Texas rates are rising for several reasons — oil-and-gas electrification and crypto as well as data centers. Read this as “bills are up and data centers are a primary driver,” not “data centers alone.” The +30% is the retail residential trend; lifetime build figures are estimates.
CASE 03 / 10Metro Atlanta · Georgia PowerMostly projected
Georgia tied ~80% of its decade’s growth to data centers — and warned of a ~$20/mo bill
Georgia Power expects 8,200–10,000 MW of new load by 2030, roughly 80% of it data centers, and has proposed 1,000+ miles of new transmission. PSC staff warned the plan could add about $20/month to a typical bill if the load doesn’t fully materialize.
STEP 1 / 5
Data center Households · pay
Typical household bill · illustrative
baseline
The scale of the load — and who pays for it
metro Atlanta’s data centers
~7–9 GW
≈ same power as
Households
~6 million homes
… but each home only
A typical home
~1.2 kW
One customer draws the power of millions of homes, concentrated at a single
point — yet the grid built to serve it is paid for by every Georgia Power customer, the households on the map, who each use
a tiny fraction.
How the cost reaches you
Data centerload
→
Gridupgrade
→
“Reliability”cost rule
→
Georgia Powerrecovers cost
→
Yourbill
Georgia — by the numbers
~80%
Of projected decade demand growth tied to data centers.
8.2–10 GW
New load expected by 2030.
1,000+ mi
New transmission proposed over the decade.
~$20 / mo
Potential typical-bill impact PSC staff warned about (~$3.4B).
frozen → 2028
Base rates, after six increases since 2022 (partly Vogtle nuclear).
$8.50 / mo
Required downward bill pressure from large loads, 2029–31.
Who ultimately pays: every Georgia Power customer.
Sources: State outline — public-domain US census geometry. Transmission corridors are schematic. Figures — Georgia PSC (data-center fact sheet), Utility Dive, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Perkins Coie, georgiapower.com.
Caveat: Most of Georgia’s impact is projected: base rates are frozen through 2028, and recent increases were partly Vogtle nuclear, not data centers. The ~$20/mo is a PSC-staff warning, not an approved charge.
CASE 04 / 10New Albany cluster · AEP OhioAlready on bills
Columbus bills jumped ~$27 a month in one summer — with another rider on the way
120 of Ohio’s 188 data centers sit in the Columbus area, anchored by the New Albany cluster (Google, Meta, AWS, Microsoft, Intel). The high-voltage build to serve them is already showing up on bills through a transmission cost rider.
STEP 1 / 5
Data center Households · pay
Typical household bill · illustrative
baseline
The scale of the load — and who pays for it
One hyperscale data center
100–1,000+ MW
≈ same power as
Households
a small city of homes
… but each home only
A typical home
~1.2 kW
One customer draws the power of a small city, concentrated at a single
point — yet the grid built to serve it is paid for by every AEP Ohio customer in central Ohio, the households on the map, who each use
a tiny fraction.
How the cost reaches you
Data centerload
→
Gridupgrade
→
“Reliability”cost rule
→
AEP Ohiorecovers cost
→
Yourbill
Ohio — by the numbers
120 / 188
Of Ohio’s data centers are in the Columbus area.
+$27 / mo
Typical Columbus bill increase in summer 2025 (state data: +$25.64, Apr–Jul).
+$7.90 / mo
Additional Basic Transmission Cost Rider from April 2026.
85%
Take-or-pay on contracted capacity under the new Data Center Tariff.
10-yr
Minimum term for data-center capacity contracts.
On appeal
Ohio Manufacturers’ Association challenged the tariff at the Ohio Supreme Court.
Who ultimately pays: every AEP Ohio customer in central Ohio.
Sources: State outline — public-domain US census geometry. Transmission corridors are schematic. Figures — PUCO, WCMH/NBC4, 10TV, WOSU, electricityrates.com.
CASE 05 / 10Meta “Hyperion” · Richland ParishProjected
One Meta campus is pulling power across the whole state — and ratepayers owe ≥$470M
Entergy is building for a single $10B→$27B Meta data center in Richland Parish, scaling toward 5 GW. Power gets hauled from South Louisiana generation up to the North Louisiana site over ~240 miles of new 500 kV — the most dramatic single-site corridor after Ashburn.
STEP 1 / 5
Data center Households · pay
Typical household bill · illustrative
baseline
The scale of the load — and who pays for it
the Meta “Hyperion” campus
up to 5 GW
≈ same power as
Households
~4 million homes
… but each home only
A typical home
~1.2 kW
One customer draws the power of millions of homes, concentrated at a single
point — yet the grid built to serve it is paid for by Entergy Louisiana ratepayers, the households on the map, who each use
a tiny fraction.
How the cost reaches you
Data centerload
→
Gridupgrade
→
“Reliability”cost rule
→
Entergyrecovers cost
→
Yourbill
Louisiana — by the numbers
up to 5 GW
Eventual load of the single Meta “Hyperion” campus.
~240 mi
New 500 kV from South Louisiana to the North Louisiana site.
8 lines
New 230 kV lines, plus multiple substations and a $1.2B 500 kV line.
≥ $470M
On ratepayers for a new 60-mile line connecting two substations.
7–10
New gas plants (5.2–7.7 GW) plus ~2.5 GW solar to serve the campus.
≥ 50%
Large-load cost-share under the LPSC fast-track rule (which suspends bidding).
Who ultimately pays: Entergy Louisiana ratepayers.
Sources: State outline — public-domain US census geometry. The South-to-North 500 kV corridor and 230 kV ties are schematic, drawn in their real direction. Figures — Entergy, Louisiana Illuminator, DataCenterDynamics, Engineering News-Record, The Center Square.
Caveat: Meta’s pledge covers much of the generation cost; the headline ratepayer figure (≥$470M) is tied to specific transmission, and the broader impact depends on how the fast-track rule plays out.
CASE 06 / 10Phoenix metro · APS & SRPFiled + projected
In Phoenix, data centers are ~94% of the utility’s growth while homes use less
Data centers are projected to drive about 94% of APS demand growth from 2023–25 — even as average residential use fell 5%. APS has filed for a ~14% residential increase and SRP raised its fixed monthly charge ~50%.
STEP 1 / 5
Data center Households · pay
Typical household bill · illustrative
baseline
The scale of the load — and who pays for it
Phoenix’s new data-center load
+5,340 MW
≈ same power as
Households
~4 million homes
… but each home only
A typical home
~1.2 kW
One customer draws the power of millions of homes, concentrated at a single
point — yet the grid built to serve it is paid for by APS & SRP customers across metro Phoenix, the households on the map, who each use
a tiny fraction.
How the cost reaches you
Data centerload
→
Gridupgrade
→
“Reliability”cost rule
→
APS / SRPrecovers cost
→
Yourbill
Arizona — by the numbers
~94%
Of APS demand growth 2023–25 projected to be data centers.
−5%
Change in average residential usage over a similar period.
Residential increase APS filed for (no earlier than mid-2026).
+~50%
SRP fixed monthly service charge increase (Nov 2025).
80% min
SRP E-67 minimum billing for 20 MW+ customers.
Who ultimately pays: APS & SRP customers across metro Phoenix.
Sources: State outline — public-domain US census geometry. Arizona has no headline transmission mileage; the ties shown are schematic. Figures — Arizona Corporation Commission, The Center Square, Arizona Capitol Times.
Caveat: The APS increase is filed, not yet approved; SRP’s fixed-charge increase is in effect. “94% of growth” is a share of new demand, not of total demand.
CASE 07 / 10BGE · downstream of PJM / N. VirginiaAlready on bills
Baltimore has almost no data centers — and its bills still jumped $17 a month
Baltimore is the clearest example that you don’t need a local cluster to pay for one. BGE sits inside PJM, so the record capacity auction driven by Northern Virginia’s data centers flowed straight onto Maryland bills.
STEP 1 / 5
PJM cost Data center (NoVA) Households · pay
Typical household bill · illustrative
baseline
The scale of the load — and who pays for it
Data Center Alley (in N. Virginia)
4,900 MW
≈ same power as
Households
~4 million homes
… but each home only
A typical home
~1.2 kW
One customer draws the power of millions of homes, concentrated at a single
point — yet the grid built to serve it is paid for by every BGE household — and ratepayers across 13 PJM states, the households on the map, who each use
a tiny fraction.
How the cost reaches you
Data centerload
→
Gridupgrade
→
“Reliability”cost rule
→
PJMrecovers cost
→
Yourbill
Baltimore, MD — by the numbers
+$17 / mo
BGE average bill increase after the record PJM auction.
+833%
PJM 2024 capacity auction for 2025–26.
13 states
PJM footprint the cost flows across.
~0
Major data centers in Baltimore itself — the cluster is in Virginia.
GS-5
Virginia’s large-load rate class — an upstream remedy that helps downstream BGE.
Who ultimately pays: every BGE household — and ratepayers across 13 PJM states.
Sources: State outlines — public-domain US census geometry. The “cost flow” arrow is conceptual: it traces the PJM capacity charge from the Northern Virginia cluster to Baltimore, not a physical new line. Figures — PJM, Bloomberg, BGE.
Caveat: Baltimore is a downstream symptom of the PJM / Northern Virginia buildout, shown here to make the “shared cost” mechanism concrete. The arrow is the cost path, not a transmission line.
CASE 08 / 10Silicon Forest · Portland General ElectricAlready on bills
Over a decade, Oregon homes’ rates rose 4× faster than big customers’
Hillsboro’s “Silicon Forest” hosts 15 major data centers, and nearly all of Portland General Electric’s load growth came from commercial customers. The result is one of the cleanest cost-shift data points in the country.
STEP 1 / 5
Data center Households · pay
Typical household bill · illustrative
baseline
The scale of the load — and who pays for it
One hyperscale data center
100–1,000+ MW
≈ same power as
Households
a small city of homes
… but each home only
A typical home
~1.2 kW
One customer draws the power of a small city, concentrated at a single
point — yet the grid built to serve it is paid for by every PGE residential customer, the households on the map, who each use
a tiny fraction.
How the cost reaches you
Data centerload
→
Gridupgrade
→
“Reliability”cost rule
→
PGErecovers cost
→
Yourbill
Hillsboro, OR — by the numbers
15
Major data centers in Hillsboro’s “Silicon Forest”.
+8¢ / kWh
Decade-long residential rate increase.
+2¢ / kWh
Decade-long increase for large users — a 4× gap.
all commercial
Nearly all of PGE’s load growth came from commercial customers.
2025 law
Oregon now requires data centers to cover their fair share.
Who ultimately pays: every PGE residential customer.
Sources: State outline — public-domain US census geometry. Buildout is localized; lines shown are schematic. Figures — Portland General Electric, Bloomberg, Oregon legislature.
CASE 09 / 10Aurora & the collar counties · ComEdProjected
Chicago-area bills could rise up to $70 by 2028 — and Aurora hit pause
ComEd’s summer price spike was attributed largely to data-center demand, and a consumer watchdog projects Chicago-area bills could climb as much as $70 by 2028. One suburb, Aurora, passed a moratorium on new data centers.
STEP 1 / 5
Data center Households · pay
Typical household bill · illustrative
baseline
The scale of the load — and who pays for it
One hyperscale data center
100–1,000+ MW
≈ same power as
Households
a small city of homes
… but each home only
A typical home
~1.2 kW
One customer draws the power of a small city, concentrated at a single
point — yet the grid built to serve it is paid for by ComEd customers across northern Illinois, the households on the map, who each use
a tiny fraction.
How the cost reaches you
Data centerload
→
Gridupgrade
→
“Reliability”cost rule
→
ComEd / PJMrecovers cost
→
Yourbill
Chicago suburbs — by the numbers
up to $70
Projected Chicago-area monthly bill increase by 2028 (Citizens Utility Board).
summer spike
ComEd price jump attributed largely to data-center demand.
180 days
Aurora’s moratorium on new data centers.
PJM
Regional market that transmits the demand into local prices.
Who ultimately pays: ComEd customers across northern Illinois.
Sources: State outline — public-domain US census geometry. ComEd’s exposure is regional rather than a single mapped corridor; the tie shown is schematic. Figures — Citizens Utility Board, CBS Chicago, WTTW.
Caveat: Chicago’s impact is largely projected: the $70 figure is a watchdog projection by 2028, and the summer spike was attributed to — not solely caused by — data centers.
CASE 10 / 10Richmond & Person counties · Duke EnergyProjected
A national study pins ~8% higher US bills on data centers — with North Carolina in the path
An NC State / Carnegie Mellon study projects data centers will raise US bills about 8% on average through 2030. North Carolina is courting the load — Amazon’s $10B Richmond County investment, Microsoft eyeing Person County — and loosened some clean-energy rules to make room for it.
STEP 1 / 5
Data center Households · pay
Typical household bill · illustrative
baseline
The scale of the load — and who pays for it
One hyperscale data center
100–1,000+ MW
≈ same power as
Households
a small city of homes
… but each home only
A typical home
~1.2 kW
One customer draws the power of a small city, concentrated at a single
point — yet the grid built to serve it is paid for by Duke Energy customers across the Carolinas, the households on the map, who each use
a tiny fraction.
How the cost reaches you
Data centerload
→
Gridupgrade
→
“Reliability”cost rule
→
Duke Energyrecovers cost
→
Yourbill
North Carolina — by the numbers
~8%
Projected average US bill increase from data centers through 2030 (NC State/CMU).
up to ~25%
Projected increase in the hardest-hit areas like Northern Virginia.
$10B
Amazon’s Richmond County investment.
Person Co.
County Microsoft is eyeing for a campus.
goals cut
A new NC law scrapped some of Duke’s carbon-reduction targets for flexibility.
Who ultimately pays: Duke Energy customers across the Carolinas.
Sources: State outline — public-domain US census geometry. Regional buildout corridors are schematic. Figures — NC State / Carnegie Mellon study (via Axios), Duke Energy filings, North Carolina legislature.
Caveat: North Carolina’s impact is projection-based: the ~8% is a modeled US average through 2030, and the state has not yet adopted a large-load cost-share rule.
The same forces show up in every case
Capacity auction jargon
Once a year the grid operator (like PJM or ERCOT’s planning process) pays power plants in advance to promise they’ll be available on the single worst-demand day of the year — basically buying insurance that the lights stay on. When demand is forecast to jump, as it has with data centers, the operator must buy far more of those promises, so the price spikes. PJM’s 2024 auction rose about 833%, and that flows onto bills across 13 states.
“Reliability” / shared cost jargon
When a new power line is officially classified as benefiting the whole regional grid — a “reliability” upgrade — the rules let its cost be spread across everyone’s bill, not just the customers it was built for. That’s how a line built mainly to serve data centers can quietly become a charge shared by every household in the region.
Large-load rate class (the fix) jargon
The emerging remedy across Virginia (GS-5), Ohio, Texas (SB 6), Oregon, Louisiana, Georgia and Arizona (SRP E-67): make very large customers (20–25 MW+) pre-pay a high share — often 80–85% — of the transmission and generation they reserve. The cost then sits on the load that caused it instead of ordinary households.
Is a rising rate hitting your bill?
Upload your bill and the free Energy Advisor tells you whether your increase is the rate going up or something you can fix — usage, weather, or the wrong plan.