Public Utility Commission Chairman Stephen DeFrank says, “Pennsylvania is at the center of a generational shift in how we produce and use electricity…” as the PUC issues its 2025 Electric Power Outlook report, which predicts “adequate generation capacity” through 2033, but only if planned projects are completed in a timely manner.” The report also says extreme weather could put the power transmission system in the state at risk as early as next year.
After a three percent electricity usage increase in 2024, the next five years could produce much higher demand with the advent “large-load customers such as data centers.” The report predicts a 6.17 percent increase per year over the next five years, including an industrial growth rate of 14.77 percent.
Perhaps surprisingly, Penelec predicts an energy usage decrease of .62 percent annually over the next five years. In the next ten years, the prediction is for an even steeper decline, by .72 percent per year, using 2024 as the baseline year.
The report:
https://www.puc.pa.gov/media/3586/final-draft-2025-epo-2024-2029-8-2025.pdf
