"Maryland is facing an energy crisis," electric utility Pepco warned in a message to customers Thursday. "When demand for electricity is high and supply is limited, it puts pressure on the system and can increase costs," the message said, advising that customers "may see changes in your energy bill" as the region enters the winter months. The utility again has attempted to explain that many of the surging costs are not its responsibility, such as the taxes and fees imposed by Montgomery County and Maryland state governments. It specifically mentioned the EmPOWER Maryland fee that the Maryland legislature recently hiked again. Politicians hope that you will think Pepco is charging you these fees, which is part of the impetus for the utility to inform customers to the contrary.
Moreover, the impact of the state forcing the closure of 8 power plants continues to be massive. Maryland is now forced to import electricity from out-of-state at higher rates, because it can no longer generate enough power from its remaining power plants to meet demand. Montgomery County and Maryland elected officials have tried mightily to scapegoat data centers as the cause of high energy bills, but the fact is that there are currently zero megascale data centers in our state. No, it's our elected officials themselves who have done this to us, and the problem will soon be impossible to ignore any longer, as energy demands lead to blackouts.
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