U.S. House to vote on bill requiring data centers to pay for power infrastructure

The U.S. House of Representatives is expected to vote next week on the bipartisan Ratepayer Protection Act. The legislation aims to ensure that large data centers bear the incremental costs of the new electricity generation, transmission, and distribution infrastructure required to serve their growing power demands.

This move comes as the rapid expansion of artificial intelligence and cloud computing increases electricity consumption. The U.S. Energy Information Administration projects that electricity demand will reach record levels in 2026 and 2027. Lawmakers are facing pressure to prevent the costs of expanding grid infrastructure from being passed on to residential utility customers.

The bill previously passed the House Energy and Commerce Committee with unanimous support. Speaker Mike Johnson and Majority Leader Steve Scalise are backing the measure, which is expected to proceed under an expedited procedure requiring a two-thirds majority of members present and voting.