Manufacturers in Rust Belt states are facing sharply higher electricity bills as surging energy demand from data centers strains the grid operated by PJM Interconnection. The Belden Brick Company in Ohio saw its monthly power charge jump from $1,600 to $12,000, while the Steel Manufacturers Association warns that member companies are paying tens of millions of dollars more per year.
Since electricity accounts for 20 to 40 percent of steel production costs, these rising expenses threaten to erode profit margins and hinder President Donald Trump’s “Made in America” initiative to revive U.S. manufacturing, even as Trump continues to champion the tech industry driving the AI data center boom.
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