ComEd CEO seeks rules to prevent AI from boosting energy bills
Commonwealth Edison Co. has proposed modifications to tariffs that include higher deposits for data centers, according to Chief Executive Officer Gil Quiniones. He also wants data centers to post collateral in case 'loads and revenues do not materialize as planned.'
'What really needs to happen is to make sure that we're not shifting costs due to data centers powered by AI to all the other customers,' Quiniones said in the interview Wednesday.
Concerns are growing about the impact on ordinary consumers from the massive build-out of AI-related infrastructure. The boom is spurring the largest increase in US electricity demand in decades, but power suppliers struggling to keep pace.
Quiniones spoke at the Global Quantum Forum in Chicago, where utility executives including ComEd's owner, Exelon Corp., and Southern Co. also addressed the issue. Southern's CEO Chris Womack said Americans will revolt if they end up on the hook for soaring power costs associated with AI.
Earlier this week, the operator of the largest US grid offered more evidence of how power prices are being bid higher. The outcome of an electricity auction Tuesday meant businesses and households served by PJM Interconnection LLC will spend a record $16.1 billion to ensure power supplies in the year starting June 2026. The region supplied by PJM includes Chicago.
Prices would have been even higher if Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro hadn't sued to place a cap on increases, Exelon CEO Calvin Butler said during a panel discussion.
'When you look at the prices that came out yesterday, they're only going to continue to increase,' Butler said. 'Policy is very important, because we have to get this right. And I wish I could tell you today that we have an answer for the short term.'
The growth of quantum computing in Illinois alongside the AI and data centers boom needs to be closely watched, Quiniones also said.
While quantum computing is less energy-intensive than AI, Chicago's quantum and microelectronics park, a project spearheaded by Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, has already attracted more than $1 billion in investment from companies including PsiQuantum Corp., International Business Machines Corp. and Infleqtion.
'For now, we are a state that exports power,' Quiniones said. 'We need to be very, very closely monitoring this, working with PJM and our regulators in the state to make sure that we make appropriate additions in the future, not only in generation capacity, but investment on the transmission system.'
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The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. 2 High-Flying Artificial Intelligence (AI) Stocks to Sell Before They Plummet 74% and 30%, According to Select Wall Street Analysts was originally published by The Motley Fool Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
