ComEd to offer up to $500 for small businesses struggling to pay electric bills
ComEd is launching a $2.5 million grant program to offer up to $500 to small businesses struggling with rising electric bills. The price hikes are largely attributed to the energy demand from the growth of artificial intelligence data centers in Northern Illinois. The utility states it does not control or profit from these price increases, which are set by the Pennsylvania-based electric grid operator PJM.
ComEd has announced a new $2.5 million assistance program, offering grants of up to $500 to small business customers in Northern Illinois who are struggling to pay their electric bills. According to ComEd Chief Executive Gil Quiniones, the initiative comes after two consecutive years of electricity price increases, primarily driven by the substantial energy demands of new artificial intelligence (AI) data centers. Grant applications are set to open on June 15 on a first-come, first-served basis, requiring business owners to make a matching payment.
This small- and medium-sized business program follows a similar residential customer relief plan introduced last year. Quiniones emphasized the utility's commitment to helping customers manage energy costs and encouraged businesses to adopt energy-efficiency practices. The Sun-Times previously reported a 12% increase in monthly charges for ComEd customers starting in June, also linking it to the boom in AI data centers. Quiniones noted that approximately 100 data center projects are currently proposed for Northern Illinois, though not all are expected to materialize. ComEd clarifies that it does not set or profit from the electricity prices, which are determined by the Pennsylvania-based electric grid operator PJM based on anticipated future demand.