Industry leaders and energy experts weigh in on Pennsylvania's bleak electric reliability outlook, urge lawmakers to pass pro-consumer reforms
Pennsylvania House Democratic Caucus October 7, 2026 | 10:24 AM
HARRISBURG, Oct. 7 – Following the September PUC report on Pennsylvania's resource adequacy crisis and its ongoing work to increase grid reliability, the PA House Energy Committee convened for an informational meeting on Pennsylvania's electric reliability outlook Tuesday.
Last month, the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission released an independent analysis, conducted by Synapse Energy Economics, warning that rising energy demand presents significant resource adequacy concerns for Pennsylvania and the broader PJM region.
Resource adequacy refers to the ability of the electric grid to always supply power to all points of consumption, especially during periods of peak demand, while meeting acceptable technical criteria. To assess resource adequacy in Pennsylvania and the broader PJM region, the report examines the likelihood of instances when the available electric supply would be insufficient to meet the total demand of the system over the next 20 years.
The report warns that booming data center and other large load development could push the risk of electric service interruption above the acceptable threshold set by PJM's planning criterion for reliability as soon as 2027. By 2030, the report projects that brownout and blackout events could occur as many as 13 times each year. Patrick Knight, vice president of Synapse Energy Economics, and Stephen DeFrank, chairman of the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission, presented the report to the committee.
"I commend this committee for calling this hearing to discuss the commission's 'Assessing Resource Adequacy in Pennsylvania and PJM' report, as published by Synapse. I can think of no more important topic of discussion in the Pennsylvania energy landscape at this time than the future electric reliability risks outlined in this report," DeFrank said in his testimony before the committee.
The committee heard testimony from industry leaders including Stephen Bennett, senior manager for regulatory and legislative affairs at PJM Interconnection; Joseph Bowring, independent market monitor for PJM; Glen Thomas, president of the GT Power Group; Andy Tubbs, president of the Energy Association of PA; and Evan Vaughan, executive director of MAREC Action, representing a coalition of solar, wind and energy storage companies.
The testifiers urged lawmakers to pass legislation that supports the development of new electric generation assets, such as permitting and siting reform and "bring your own energy" requirements for data center projects and other large load facilities.
"This new analysis by the Public Utility Commission shows that Pennsylvania needs more electricity generation, regardless of whether data centers get built, to stabilize electricity rates and keep the lights on," Vaughan said. "My biggest takeaway from today's hearing is that continued electric reliability between now and 2030 rests on deploying large numbers of fast-to-deploy and cost-effective batteries, solar and wind resources. MAREC appreciates the Pennsylvania House's actions to date, passing storage legislation and solar decommissioning standards with bipartisan support. Going forward, it will be critical to build on these actions with long-term revenue agreements to stabilize rates, data center 'Bring Your Own New Generation' requirements, enhanced transmission planning, and commonsense statewide siting standards to ensure projects have clear rules of the road."
Further action to expand Pennsylvania's oversight of electric load forecasting was highlighted as a key tool in addressing the region's resource adequacy concerns. The Pennsylvania General Assembly previously passed legislation on load forecasting accountability in November 2025.
"If Pennsylvania does not act, the consequences will not be distributed evenly. The PUC-commissioned analysis shows that rapid data center large-load growth combined with constrained new supply could bring both more frequent electricity-shortage events and persistently high energy costs. This will be devastating to low- and moderate-income families, and will mean more shutoffs, unsafe temperatures, health risks and deeper household debt," said Patrick Cicero, of counsel for the Pennsylvania Utility Law Project and former Pennsylvania consumer advocate, in his testimony before the committee.
Since 2024, the average monthly utility statement has risen by about 20%, according to analysis released by the Pennsylvania Independent Fiscal Office. According to the PUC report, resource adequacy shortfalls would drive prices higher.
"According to this report, our commonwealth could experience significant service interruptions – blackouts and brownouts – multiple times each year by 2030 because of large load development by wealthy corporations and big tech companies. I am very concerned about what those service interruptions would mean for small businesses and households, especially seniors and families with young children," said state Rep. Elizabeth Fiedler, chair of the House Energy Committee. "Today, our testifiers made it clear that energy policy that builds cleaner, more reliable energy and requires data centers to pay their fair share are needed to avoid these worst-case scenarios."