Energy needs are growing rapidly across AEP’s service territory, and we’re committed to meeting that demand responsibly.
That's why our operating companies have signed the Ratepayer Protection Pledge, reinforcing our commitment to keeping energy affordable and reliable for our customers while managing historic growth.
We’re joining tech companies and other utilities in this pledge, which calls on data centers to:
- Build, bring or buy new power supply,
- Pay for new power delivery infrastructure upgrades,
- Pay whether they use the power or not,
- Invest in local job creation and workforce development, and
- Contribute to electric and community resilience.
This is part of how we’re Powering Fairness. AEP is among the first utilities to develop frameworks requiring large-load customers, like data centers, to pay for the infrastructure needed to connect them to the grid. These agreements are expected to generate up to $16 billion in cost offsets for existing customers of our vertically integrated utilities over the next 20 years. As large load customers come online, our existing customers will pay a smaller share.
By planning for responsible load growth now, we’re investing in the future while protecting current residential and small customers.