Trump’s Data Centre Power Pledge Draws Scepticism from Energy Experts
On July 23, 2026, President Donald Trump promised that electricity bills for American families would "actually come down," despite the spread of power-hungry AI data centres across the grid. This pledge, an expanded version of the Ratepayer Protection Pledge, aims to cover most of the US grid. However, it carries no penalties or compliance oversight.
The Pledge: A Voluntary Scheme
The pledge asks companies building data centres, including Amazon, Google, Meta, Microsoft, OpenAI, Oracle, and xAI, to fund or build the power infrastructure required by their facilities rather than passing the cost onto existing ratepayers. It includes signatories from utilities like NextEra Energy and Duke Energy, as well as Republican governors and rural cooperatives.
Criticisms and Concerns
Critics argue that the pledge lacks specific targets, timelines, or measurable milestones. The strain on household bills caused by rising data centre power consumption is already evident. In the PJM Interconnection, the largest US grid operator, data centres accounted for $6.3 billion of the $16.4 billion in charges from the most recent capacity auction (approximately 38%).
“PJM is continuing to act like it’s business as usual,” said Joseph Bowring, president of the PJM’s independent market monitor. "You have to open your eyes and recognize that it is really a paradigm shift, and failing to do that imposes costs on other customers."
The pledge is non-binding, and this lack of enforcement mechanisms is the central objection. Federal rules may also prevent signatories from covering their infrastructure costs even if they choose to.
Consumer Reactions and Expert Opinions
Jesse Lee of the campaign group Climate Power called the pledge a “pinky promise.” A Consumer Reports survey found that 75% of American adults lack confidence that large developers would truly cover all their costs. Researchers at the Brookings Institution added that federal statutes "cannot readily override" state public utility commissions responsible for setting residential rates.
A Complex Web of Regulations and Interests
Some companies signing the pledge have actively opposed state-level rules intended to enforce it, highlighting the intricate web of regulations and corporate interests surrounding this issue.