LIMA, Ohio (WLIO) — Having enough electricity in the future is a growing concern in Ohio and across the nation.
Congressman Bob Latta, who chairs the U.S. House Subcommittee on Energy, recently held a hearing with companies that manage the country’s electric transmission lines, including PJM Interconnection, which oversees the lines in Ohio. The companies warned that the demand for power could soon surpass supply — especially as more data centers are built.
Latta said the projection could be as high as an 8% increase in power needs by the end of 2025.
Latta said the projection could be as high as an 8% increase in power needs by the end of 2025.
“Go back to 2014 when we had that huge polar vortex that came across the Midwest. But during that time frame, we were very fortunate on how we did not have a blackout or a brown out. But I asked, I've asked PJM every year the same question, if we had the same situation, we would have. They always said, we're okay, until we got to last year, and they said, well, maybe into ‘26 and what happens in ’26? Well, we could start seeing those brown outs and blackouts. That's why we've got to get the generation, then we have to have the transmission and the distribution of this electricity,” said Rep. Bob Latta, Ohio’s 5th District congressman.
Latta said one priority for his committee is finding ways to streamline the process of getting new power plants online.
