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Trump Says 220 Organizations Join Ratepayer Pledge to Shield Consumers From AI Power Costs

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US President Donald Trump said Thursday that over 220 organizations have joined the Ratepayer Protection Pledge to keep AI-related electricity costs off consumers.

Trump said that after he introduced the plan a few months ago, "more than 220 utilities, tech companies, state governments, and other partners have signed our Ratepayer Protection Pledge."

The US President said rising electricity demand from artificial intelligence should not burden households, with large technology companies instead funding the required power infrastructure.

"America's largest tech companies have formally committed to fund or build all energy infrastructure required to meet the demand they are placing on the grid," Trump added.

Trump said the administration will let technology companies build their own power plants for data centers. He added the facilities will feed excess electricity into the grid, "... so we'll actually end up with more electricity," he said.

Trump said the pledge now helps keep electricity prices in check across utilities responsible for about 80% of US power distribution. "We have kept rates down, way down," he said.

American Electric Power estimates its data center contracts will generate as much as $16 billion in consumer cost offsets, Trump said, citing the agreements as evidence that technology investments can reduce costs for households.

Trump said several new power plants will begin operating over the next two years, expanding electricity supplies to meet growing demand from artificial intelligence and other industries.

He also highlighted commitments from utilities participating in the initiative, saying Georgia Power has frozen residential base rates through 2029, which he cited as an example of protecting consumers from higher electricity bills.

"AI is probably the biggest thing anybody's ever seen, and whoever wins that race is probably going to win," Trump said, arguing the US must expand power generation to stay ahead of China.

Trump criticized regions facing recurring brownouts and blackouts, saying they cannot support surging electricity demand.

He said the Ratepayer Protection Pledge will expand generating capacity while requiring major technology companies to finance their own energy needs.

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