Trump unveils plan to keep AI boom from raising your electric bill

WASHINGTON (TNND) — President Donald Trump announced an expansion of his administration’s Ratepayer Protection Pledge on Thursday, saying artificial intelligence companies and other major technology firms will pay for the power infrastructure needed to support new data centers instead of passing those costs on to American consumers.

Speaking at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Trump said the administration is “insisting that AI data centers and big tech companies pay their own way” as electricity demand surges to support the rapidly growing industry.

Ahead of Trump’s remarks, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said the president is expanding the pledge to ensure “the American people are never left footing the bill so private companies can benefit.”

Trump said AI companies will build and fund the power plants and other energy infrastructure needed to operate their data centers, arguing the approach will strengthen the electric grid while preventing higher utility costs for households.

“They’re going to be building your own electric plants,” Trump said. “You’re essentially becoming a utility.” He added that “the rates are going to go down” as companies generate additional electricity that can also feed back into the grid.

The White House said more than 220 utilities, technology companies, state governments and other partners have now signed the voluntary pledge, covering electricity distributed to roughly 80% of U.S. households and businesses.

The Ratepayer Protection Pledge was first unveiled in March, when major technology companies—including Amazon, Google, Microsoft, Meta, OpenAI, Oracle and xAI—agreed to pay for the new power generation and grid upgrades needed to support their AI data centers rather than shifting those costs to residential customers.

At the time, White House Office of Science and Technology Policy Director Michael Kratsios said “American AI leadership should never come at the cost of hardworking Americans’ ability to pay their electricity bills,” adding that the pledge is intended to strengthen the electric grid while protecting consumers.

The announcement comes as electricity demand is projected to surge because of AI infrastructure. A recent analysis by consulting firm ICF estimated monthly utility bills could rise by 15% to 40% by 2030 if the costs of powering new data centers are passed on to consumers.

Trump argued the new infrastructure should be financed by the companies creating the additional demand, saying “the cost of building the new infrastructure required to meet this demand should be borne by the corporations themselves, not by the American consumers.”