A new report from the Ohio Manufacturers’ Association (OMA) says unverified electricity demand forecasts are inflating projected power needs and driving higher electric bills across the PJM region.
The report was released alongside a preview of proposed legislation aimed at requiring independent verification and public review of large-load forecasts before they can be used to justify major power infrastructure spending.
“Customers are being asked to pay for a future that may never arrive,” said Ryan Augsburger, OMA president. “Speculative forecasts are being treated like guaranteed demand, and paper demand is driving real costs. Before families and employers are forced to fund billions of dollars in new power projects, the assumptions behind those decisions should be tested, transparent and accountable.”
The report cites findings from PJM’s Independent Market Monitor showing that speculative load forecasts increased regional electricity capacity costs by $21.3 billion over a three-year period, compared with $1.8 billion tied to actual realized load growth over the same span. Those unverified assumptions, the report finds, are being incorporated into regional projections as guaranteed growth, pushing up capacity prices and triggering unnecessary transmission and generation investments.
Are you interested in saving on your electrical costs? GMA and TogetherSolve can help.
Energy is not just another operating expense—it is a core input cost that directly impacts margins, pricing competitiveness, and production stability. Press operations, drying systems, finishing equipment, climate control, and extended run schedules make electricity and natural gas critical to daily output. In an environment of rising material, labor, and freight costs, uncontrolled energy pricing can quietly erode profitability.