AI data centres are forcing U.S. electricity to be planned like scarce capacity
The grid is no longer just delivering power. It has to pre-commit firm supply years ahead while AI load keeps compounding.
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Analysis of electricity markets, capacity pricing, grid economics, and market structure in power systems.
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The grid is no longer just delivering power. It has to pre-commit firm supply years ahead while AI load keeps compounding.
Spot prices tell you what electricity costs now. Capacity prices tell you what it costs to guarantee it will still be there when the grid is stressed.
The question is no longer just how much firm capacity PJM needs. It is whether the new load that creates the need should pay for it directly.
With U.S. gas prices above $4 and crude back above $100, the market is treating energy as a regime variable again - not a sector detail.