Why central Ohio energy bills are rising — and what data centers have to do with it

Added: 2026-05-16

[00:00:00]According to the data center map, there are more than 200 data centers across the state and more than half right here in central Ohio.

[00:00:07]>> We can see it. 10 Investigates Rochelle Alen is digging into the impact these massive facilities could have on your monthly bill. She joins us now with what she found.

[00:00:17]>> It's no secret that data centers use a lot of energy. Experts I spoke to say right now we're building them faster than our grid can keep up. And that imbalance is putting a strain on things that's costing you more money. Tonight, in a story you will only see on 10, I asked the company that runs our power grid what they're doing about this problem.

[00:00:39]>> Uhhuh.

[00:00:39]>> About a month ago, we heard this from viewers about their energy bills.

[00:00:44]>> Uh they've went up probably double, I would say, in the last year. I don't know how we're going to keep paying for all this, you know.

[00:00:51]>> So, we took those concerns to energy leaders like Aim Huck. Uh I am the executive vice president for governmental and member services.

[00:01:00]>> He works for the largest power grid operator in the US.

[00:01:03]>> PJM Interconnection 13 states, District of Columbia. We serve 67 million consumers.

[00:01:09]>> And he tells 10 Investigates this is one of the biggest challenges they're facing.

[00:01:14]>> The increase in demand that we are expecting over the next decade is almost all due to data center growth. Hawk says the jump in Ohio was so steep that they're now asking the federal government to let them put a cap on how much they can charge this region.

[00:01:31]>> The price of power in that market jumped from about 20 uh $29 a megawatt day to about um $270. Okay, that is a pretty sharp increase. Now the cap is at about 300 and change. The goal is to keep that cap in place for the next decade while they work out the best way to charge data centers for the energy they use, but in the meantime to ease the burden on the grid. He added that they're also making this request of new data centers.

[00:02:03]>> We are encouraging the data centers to bring their own generation supply to the system. While these experts say work is being done, we understand that there are people right now who need help paying their energy bills tonight. If you find yourself in that position, I asked those experts what you should do. They say you should call your energy provider to see if they have a savings or rebate program. There are also many programs within many cities or counties where they can help you pay your bill if you cannot afford it. For a full list of those programs, you can head to our website, 10tv.com.

[00:02:37]Reporting for 10TV, I'm Rochelle Alen.