The US power grid is being “reshaped to serve the profits of Big Tech”, Candice Fortin, 350.org US campaign manager, has said, following reports that a sharp rise in utility rate hikes is being driven by data centres and AI-related energy demand.
Recent data indicated that utility providers are requesting $29 billion in rate increases for the first half of 2025 alone, which would mark a 142% increase on last year, claiming the funds are needed to repair climate-damaged infrastructure and expand capacity.
According to 350.org, these cost demands are being passed on to households while tech giants reap the benefits.
‘A textbook case’
“Working families should not be footing the bill so tech giants can keep feeding their AI machines,” commented Anne Jellema, chief executive at 350.org.
“This is a textbook case of corporate profit being prioritised over the public good. If AI is driving up demand, then it’s the tech companies, not everyday consumers, who should pay for the strain they’re putting on our energy systems.”
A sustainable alternative
350.org, a global climate justice movement, has called for investment in transparent, community-led investments in decentralised renewable energy as an alternative to current utility practices.
“Utilities and the fossil fuel companies rely on a lack of public knowledge to allow them to continue business as usual,” Fortin added. “In some states, that means greenwashing and misrepresenting themselves to maintain their positive reputations and the public’s trust. In others, it simply means making the system seem inevitable, impenetrable, and not worth people’s time. They are banking on us continuing to pay our bills and air any grievances in private.
“As the deadly impacts of the climate crisis are felt across the US, the push to protect utility profits and AI expansion at the expense of public affordability is predatory and comes at a moment when the US should be doubling down on energy justice and equitable climate solutions.”
Among 350.org’s stated goals are efforts to ‘end the age of fossil fuels and build a world powered by community-led renewable energy for all’. Read more here.
