{
    "success": true,
    "data": {
        "id": 1903084,
        "msgid": "electricity-tariffs-soar-for-ai-ordinary-people-foot-the-bill-for-the-wealthy-1785981076",
        "date": "2026-08-06 08:30:30",
        "title": "Electricity Tariffs Soar for AI, Ordinary People Foot the Bill for the Wealthy",
        "author": "",
        "source": "CNBC",
        "tags": "",
        "topic": "Economy",
        "summary": "A surge in electricity demand from data centres powering artificial intelligence is driving up household energy bills across the United States. Analysts argue that ordinary consumers are effectively subsidising the infrastructure costs of some of the world's richest technology companies. Some US states are now considering legislation to compel data centre operators to fund grid expansion themselves.",
        "content": "<p>Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia - Artificial intelligence is making\nelectricity bills more expensive. A number of states in the United\nStates are reporting an increased burden on electricity costs.<\/p>\n<p>Operator jaringan listrik seperti PJM Interconnection, which covers\n13 states, held a capacity auction to ensure electricity supply is\navailable. The auction resulted in an additional charge of US$6.3\nbillion over three years, which will be passed on to customers.<\/p>\n<p>Reports from The New York Times and Utility Dive indicate that the\nmajority of this increased cost burden originates from data centres.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOrdinary customers are financing the infrastructure of some of the\nworld\u2019s richest companies,\u201d said financial analyst Michael Ryan, as\nquoted by Gadget Review on Wednesday (3\/8\/2026).<\/p>\n<p>One increase occurred in Illinois, where tariffs rose 28% to 23.85\ncents per kWh. In Virginia, home to the densest concentration of data\ncentres known as Data Center Alley, costs increased by 15.4% to 17.61\ncents per kWh.<\/p>\n<p>The highest cost was recorded in Hawaii at 52 cents per kWh, with an\nincrease in that region reaching 26.7%.<\/p>\n<p>Georgia and Texas also experienced increases of 5.7% and 5.9%,\nrespectively. Prices there now stand at 15.84 cents per kWh and 16.44\ncents per kWh.<\/p>\n<p>Arie Brish, a business professor, stated that burdening every citizen\nwith the cost of electricity tariffs is a policy choice. He argued that\ndata centres should be treated as large real estate developers, entering\ninto binding, pre-negotiated agreements on who funds power plants,\ntransmission, and reserve capacity.<\/p>\n<p>The Donald Trump administration has also urged technology companies\nto bear their own energy costs. Several firms, such as Microsoft and\nAnthropic, have made similar commitments.<\/p>\n<p>However, these promises lack legal force or enforcement mechanisms,\nGadget Review noted. Meanwhile, MultiState reported that 27 states are\ncurrently proposing rules that would require data centres to finance\ntheir own grid expansion.<\/p>",
        "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/electricity-tariffs-soar-for-ai-ordinary-people-foot-the-bill-for-the-wealthy-1785981076",
        "image": ""
    },
    "sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
    "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}