America’s largest power grid is under enormous strain from AI data centers. And a new report details how wholesale electricity prices have jumped nearly 76% in an area where tens of millions of Americans live. PJM Interconnection operates a wholesale electric power market in the mid-Atlantic, Midwest, and South that covers 67 million people in 13 states (Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia). That’s nearly 20% of the U.S. population, and it’s also an area with a lot of data centers. Power prices there averaged $136.53 per megawatt-hour in the first three months of 2026, according to a massive new report from Monitoring Analytics. That’s up from $77.78 per megawatt-hour in the first three months of 2026.…