Trump Wants Tech Companies To Foot the Bill For New Power Plants
- Reference: 0180602720
- News link: https://hardware.slashdot.org/story/26/01/16/2137219/trump-wants-tech-companies-to-foot-the-bill-for-new-power-plants
- Source link:
> Electricity prices have exploded in recent years on PJM Interconnection due in part to the data centers that tech companies are building to train and power artificial intelligence. The PJM grid serves more than 65 million people across 13 states and Washington, D.C. Its service area includes northern Virginia, the largest data center market in the world.
>
> The Trump administration and several states signed a pact that calls for tech companies to pay for new power plants built in PJM. Leading tech companies have agreed to fund $15 billion of new generation for the grid, according to an [2]administration statement . The Trump administration and the states urged PJM to hold an emergency capacity auction to procure this power, according to the Department of Energy. PJM should also cap the amount that existing power plants can charge in the grid's capacity market to protect ratepayers, according to the administration.
"We have to get out from underneath this bureaucratic system that we have in the regional grid operators and we've got to allow markets to work," said Interior Secretary Doug Burgum at the White House. "One of the ways markets can work is to have the hyperscalers actually rapidly building power."
[1] https://www.cnbc.com/2026/01/16/trump-wants-tech-companies-to-foot-the-bill-for-new-power-plants-because-of-ai.html
[2] https://www.doi.gov/pressreleases/NEDC-landmark-agreement-grid
Great idea (Score:2)
I’m sure with the tech idea of fail fast and fix problems will translate well to major construction projects. In reslity, they’ll just try to hire away all the utility staff they need to manage and run it.
Re: (Score:1, Informative)
No, when the US buys 10% of Intel, that's not "fascism," that's "socialism." Is Tennessee Valley Authority fascism? It's was the largest power provider in the South East for decades and is still a part of the Federal Government.
Look I don't like the Orange Pedo, but I didn't like the old Blue Pedo who took naked showers with his niece either. I don't like how Obama won a noble peace prize for being black, then carper bombed Libya leading to the creation of one of the largest slave trades in Northern Afri
Meh (Score:3, Informative)
The single, solitary reason that the Great Golden Hemorrhoid is making noise about tech firms paying for generating capacity is his desperate need for cover with the mid-terms coming up. It's just noise he's making, nothing at all will come of it.
Some say (Score:1)
It might be another step into fascism. Or fears of midterms. Perhaps another stunt to deflect attention away.
But by recognizing the country was heading towards a financial collapse, houses should not be property of hedge and investment funds, health begins with the right food, medical costs are out of control, credit cards rates could use some relief and tech companies should not pass their power hunger costs to the population is, at least, an acknowledge there are ways to get things done that can make som
Re: (Score:2)
> Some say It might be another step into fascism. Or fears of midterms. Perhaps another stunt to deflect attention away.
We cannot read people's mind, so we cannot tell if this is about "fear of..." or "stunt to deflect...". However "another step into facsism" is something we can objectively assess as true or false as it is a matter of the facts (whether he walks and quacks) and not intentions.
Re: (Score:2)
The Republican Party is actually quite adept at identifying problems. But when it comes to their ability to actually solve problems, they're about as useful as passing motorists shouting "Your tire is flat!" while you're broken down on the side of the road, with nobody actually stopping to help change the tire.
Re: (Score:2)
> Like him or not, whoever inherits in 2029 will have a golden opportunity to drive this country forward a much better future.
Lol no. Nobody like that will ever get to run the country. Remember what Biden had to promise his donors to get the money flowing: nothing will fundamentally change. This is the promise and job description of every president in a country that cannot elect anything but 80 year old guys with rotting brains any more. The same as was the end of the Soviet Union.
To generalize on the very good read that is Chomsky's "What Makes Mainstream Media Mainstream", one cannot get ahead in a system if your values to not m
Don't believe it (Score:3)
It might be a little easier to take this seriously if he wasn't simultaneously subverting efforts to bring alternative energy sources on line.
Another article (Score:3)
[1]https://www.mercurynews.com/20... [mercurynews.com] Many power companies can’t shoulder the cost of building new generation without long-term commitments from buyers to purchase electricity. Meanwhile, PJM holds regular power auctions for electricity supplies in 12-month periods. The Trump administration’s plan for a 15-year auction would secure revenue for more than a decade in a market notorious for price volatility and generator bankruptcies. In turn, tech companies would be able to lock in the electricity they need — and simultaneously, developers would likely have more confidence in the long-term outlook to take on the big investment of building more plants.
[1] https://www.mercurynews.com/2026/01/16/trump-pushes-for-emergency-power-auction-to-fuel-ai-boom/
Re:It's so frustrating (Score:4, Insightful)
Could you imagine the headlines if Obama hired gangs of dark skinned men who wore masks and kidnapped white people into unmarked vans?
Re: (Score:2)
All DEI hires. Not a single one is based on merit.
Re: (Score:2)
> When I agree with the Trump administration.
Hence why there's that saying about a broken clock.
Re: (Score:2)
I know the feeling. He has identified a real issue, amazing!! I have little faith he will follow through in real way, and it seems targeted at a few states.
Once again I call bullshit (Score:2)
I'm not suggesting that Trump will pay for tech company's power plants, instead we just not going to get power plants to meet demand and the price of electricity is going to skyrocket. I would expect in the next 5 years for our power bills to double. Gas bills will shoot up too because people will switch electric heat to gas.
Re: (Score:2)
> Gas bills will shoot up too because people will switch electric heat to gas.
Electric resistance heating has historically been more expensive than gas in most places (with the exception of some cities with extremely cheap electricity). Now, if you're talking heat pumps, a situation where heating with gas becomes cheaper is extremely unlikely. You see, we still burn a lot of natural gas in the USA to generate electricity, so there's some arbitrage going on between the price of electricity and natural gas. So, while you're probably correct that increased electrical demand will rais
Regional grid operators? (Score:2)
You mean like Ercot? The regional grid operator who allowed people to freeze to death because they didn't want to deal with pesky regulations or the free market?
Release the Epstein files! (Score:1)
and stop trying to distract from the publication of the names of the pedophiles (including some of your lawyers.....).
Seems a bit silly (Score:3)
The tech companies have been waving around stacks of bills around and saying "please take our money and build some power plants". So if Trump says "Tech companies have to pay for power plants", the tech companies are just going to say "OK".
Failure to follow basic instructions. (Score:2)
The problem here is that he's failed to do the one thing he is supposed to do: work with congress. Who could make this happen? Congress. Who does he cooperate with? Nobody.
It's very clear the U.S. President doesn't know how ideas are made into laws because despite having a lot of leverage, he has yet to produce any original laws.
TACO (Score:2)
This dude always chickens out. The moment he gets pushback from donors he retreats while MAGA folks give him credit. Remember he was gonna "expose Fort Knox"? He was gonna release the Epstein files! Remember that? They can't even release an edited fake version of it. Recently, to misdirect from the Epstein thing, he made false promises to the Iranian people so they would come out and the regime could slaughter them by the thousands as well as identify who within the regime is against them.
get out from underneath this bureaucratic system (Score:2)
> "We have to get out from underneath this bureaucratic system that we have in the regional grid operators and we've got to allow markets to work,"
Sounds like that want to be able to avoid rules and regulations and build whatever they want, however they want, and perhaps wherever they want - like with a ballroom. /s
Not quite (Score:2, Insightful)
He wants to make it sound like he's going to squeeze the tech firms for money to pay for grid upgrades. Then he'll have a way they can avoid that if they grease his tiny orange palm. Just wait.