{"id":6331,"date":"2026-02-28T05:26:00","date_gmt":"2026-02-28T11:26:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.paenergyratings.com\/blog\/?p=6331"},"modified":"2026-02-25T17:27:08","modified_gmt":"2026-02-25T23:27:08","slug":"pa-governor-works-to-lower-capacity-auction-hike-to-electric-bills","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.paenergyratings.com\/blog\/pa-governor-works-to-lower-capacity-auction-hike-to-electric-bills\/","title":{"rendered":"PA Governor Works to Lower Capacity Auction Hike to Electric Bills"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h2>PJM Capacity Auction Costs Hiking PA Rates<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"alignright size-medium\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"300\" height=\"209\" src=\"https:\/\/www.paenergyratings.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/capacity-auction-PA-electric-300x209.jpg\" alt=\"With another high PJM capacity auction charge hitting this summer, learn what the Governor of PA is proposing to bring your PA electric bills under control.\" class=\"wp-image-6357\" title=\"PJM Capacity Auction Costs Hiking PA Rates\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.paenergyratings.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/capacity-auction-PA-electric-300x209.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.paenergyratings.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/capacity-auction-PA-electric-150x104.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.paenergyratings.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/capacity-auction-PA-electric-230x160.jpg 230w, https:\/\/www.paenergyratings.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/capacity-auction-PA-electric-350x243.jpg 350w, https:\/\/www.paenergyratings.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/capacity-auction-PA-electric-480x334.jpg 480w, https:\/\/www.paenergyratings.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/capacity-auction-PA-electric.jpg 709w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><figcaption><center><em>PJM capacity auction costs add to your PA electric bills. Find out what the Governor is doing to reduce how much you pay.<\/em><\/center><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/paenvironmentdaily.blogspot.com\/2026\/01\/gov-shapiro-renews-call-on-pjm-to.html\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">Governor Shapiro<\/a> and PJM are facing off once again over rising electric rates. In 2024, PJM\u2019s capacity auction rose over seven times their usual amount, causing electric rates to jump. While the PA Gov <a href=\"https:\/\/www.paenergyratings.com\/blog\/pa-governor-sues-pjm-over-electricity-rates\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">sued<\/a> PJM over its capacity auction method, the last auction\u00a0still sent prices higher. While a FERC approved <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pa.gov\/governor\/newsroom\/2026-press-releases\/gov-shapiro-responds-to-pjm--calls-for-extension-price-collar-pr\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">price collar<\/a> kept rates lower, Gov. Shapiro is now fighting to extend it. And the results could affect your <a href=\"https:\/\/www.paenergyratings.com\/electricity-rates\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">electricity rates<\/a>!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3>Understanding the PJM Capacity Auction<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Part of PJM&#8217;s job is to ensure that there&#8217;s enough electricity on hand to meet demand. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.utilitydive.com\/news\/pjm-interconnection-capacity-auction-data-center\/808264\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">PJM<\/a> uses capacity auctions to offer electric generators an amount per MW\/day to secure enough electricity for the grid. By using an auction, they increase the offer until they line up enough energy supply. But rising demand and a smaller supply have led to higher prices for both utilities and electric retail suppliers. This is why Gov Shapiro proposed the price collar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3>Data Centers, PJM Policies Driving Up Prices<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Tight supply and rising electricity demand from data centers has driven the record-setting price spikes during these last two auctions. Data center growth in PA is huge right now. But along with it comes a power drain. By 2030, PJM expects 32 gigawatts of new demand on its system. Of that, 30 gigawatts will comes from\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/sustainability\/boards-policy-regulation\/americas-largest-power-grid-is-struggling-meet-demand-ai-2025-07-09\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">data centers<\/a>. <br><br>On top of this, PJM has been shutting down older plants faster than they will approve new ones. They\u2019re now promising to\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/paenvironmentdaily.blogspot.com\/2025\/05\/pjm-releases-list-of-51-fast-tracked.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">fast track<\/a>\u00a0certain power projects. But it will take time for PJM to comply with FERC on their\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ferc.gov\/explainer-interconnection-final-rule\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">interconnection process<\/a>. While PJM drafted a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.citizensutilityboard.org\/blog\/2026\/01\/30\/the-devil-is-in-the-details-analyzing-pjms-policy-proposals-on-data-centers\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">policy proposal<\/a> to tackle some of these issues, little else is seems changed. As a result, the aging infrastructure and existing policies may  make for rising rates this summer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3>PA Protecting Consumers<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Thankfully PA, and other states on the PJM grid, are fighting back. \u00a0Governor Josh Shapiro\u00a0submitted a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pa.gov\/content\/dam\/copapwp-pagov\/en\/governor\/documents\/01.30.26%20Gov%20Shapiro%20letter%20PJM%20price%20cap%20response.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">formal\u00a0response<\/a> to PJM, urging them to extend the price collar. In that press release, he took a strong stance. &#8220;Asking families and businesses to pay uncapped, skyrocketing prices when new power cannot realistically be built in time is unjust and unreasonable.&#8221; In addition, Gov. Shapiro is tackling <a href=\"https:\/\/whyy.org\/articles\/shapiro-utility-profits-plans-junk-fees\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">utility profits and junk fees<\/a> to help lower consumer costs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3>Lower Your Electrical Bills with PA Energy Ratings<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Once again, PA consumers are facing rising\u00a0electricity rates\u00a0this summer. With that in mind, it&#8217;s a good time to shop for a cheap electricity rate. Prices tend to dip in the spring shoulder months, so don\u2019t wait to shop any longer! <a href=\"https:\/\/www.paenergyratings.com\/read-reviews\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Read reviews<\/a>, compare plans,\u00a0and find the right provider for you. Visit\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.paenergyratings.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">https:\/\/www.paenergyratings.com<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>PJM Capacity Auction Costs Hiking PA Rates Governor Shapiro and PJM are [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":6358,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mbp_gutenberg_autopost":false},"categories":[90,9],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.paenergyratings.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6331"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.paenergyratings.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.paenergyratings.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.paenergyratings.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.paenergyratings.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6331"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/www.paenergyratings.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6331\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6360,"href":"https:\/\/www.paenergyratings.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6331\/revisions\/6360"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.paenergyratings.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6358"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.paenergyratings.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6331"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.paenergyratings.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6331"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.paenergyratings.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6331"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}