Major electric grid operator PJM Interconnection estimates it'll cost more than $14 billion to provide electricity for 2025-2026, up from $2.2 billion last year.
That price tag has advocates worried about rising utility bills and public health impacts, partly because of PJM's continued use of gas and coal.
Marcia Dinkins is the founder and executive director of the Black Appalachian Coalition and a member of Black Women for Change.
She said people in the company's 13-state region - including West Virginia and the Ohio Valley - have higher rates of cancer, developmental delays, premature birth, and death from the continued reliance on coal.
"We're seeing high rates of asthma and chronic illness," said Dinkins. "Families are already struggling with access to affordable health care."
PJM says increased usage, power plant shutdowns, and increased operation costs are all driving up the cost of electricity.
Mountain state ratepayers saw a 90% increase in average residential electricity bills between 2005 and 2020 - higher than all states except one, according to Conservation West Virginia.
Dinkins explained that grid operators use the capacity auction process to make sure there's enough power available to meet future demand.
"And so at the risk of the everyday citizen," said Dinkins, "this increase through their process becomes a burden to the people living in West Virginia or along the Ohio Valley."
A Pew Research Center survey from last year found 67% of Americans say the U.S. should prioritize developing alternative energy sources, such as solar and wind.
But just 31% say they are ready to phase out the use of oil, coal and natural gas completely.
References:
Electric Utility Performance the Citizens Utility Board of Illinois 2022