Problem #1 – High Utility Rates: Massachusetts already has a reputation of having a highly regulated energy market that is dominated by only three investor-owned (profit-driven) utility companies (National Grid, EverSource, Unitil) who thwart competition and impose electricity prices on their customer base that exceed the national average, to the point where even some of the lowest-income residents are spending roughly 1/5th of their monthly income on utility expenses. Utility rates in this state are especially susceptible to rate hikes due to our dependence on electricity and natural gas being imported from out-of-state sources.

      Problem #2 – AI Data Centers: In December, 2024, state officials launched an effort to establish Massachusetts as a national leader in the burgeoning artificial intelligence industry, funding the ambitious multi-year project (Massachusetts AI Hub) with $100 million in investment to construct and expand energy-intensive data centers across the state, which consume immense amounts of power and drive up demand that outpaces grid production, negatively impacting MA residents with higher monthly power expenses. In May, 2025, an additional $31 million was allocated to further fund the MA AI-Hub project to expand the scope of its statewide development.

Problem #3 – Wall Street Acquisitions: Asset management companies and private equity firms like BlackRock, BlackStone, and Berkshire Hathaway have been acquiring utility companies to capitalize on the rising electricity demand from the increasing number of data centers and AI-related infrastructure sites being built throughout the country, often buying the companies at high premiums, which incentivizes these firms to quickly recoup their investment expenses, leading to higher rates for their existing customer base.

Problem #4 – Aging Power Grid: Add in the fact our state’s electric grid consists of outdated infrastructure that hasn’t been properly modernized in decades… It starts becoming pretty clear that the worst series of energy spikes are on the horizon for millions of homeowners who are already saddled with high costs of living and surging power costs.

Problem #5 – Line Worker Shortages: A wide range of utility companies throughout the country are currently grappling with a shortage of qualified candidates for one of the most important positions in the energy sector… Line workers, who are tasked with the important responsibility of building grid infrastructure (power lines, transformers, stations, substations, etc.), repairing, maintaining, and modernizing the technological components that make up the complex, interconnected nature of the US power grid.

“Electrical power line installers and repairers accounted for about 115,000 jobs in 2019, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Employment is projected to grow by only about 2,000 – less than 2% – by 2029. That figure is low compared to projected overall job growth of 6 million – about 3.7% – but does not include the open positions left by retiring veteran and career line workers.

The U.S. is experiencing what Forbes calls an ‘unprecedented skilled labor shortage‘ that has electric generation, transmission and distribution companies struggling to identify and woo qualified replacements even for jobs with above-average pay. Most utilities currently need journey-level line workers who already know how to safely perform important, oftentimes complex work on and around high-voltage lines and equipment.”

Problem #6 – Cyberattacks: For years, cyber analysts, government agencies, and independent watchdog groups have been warning that a coordinated cyberattack on the US power grid could have devastating affects on our national security. As time goes on, factors such as lack of hardware modernization, increased regional interconnectivity, and exploitable gaps in defense systems makes our power grid uniquely vulnerable to cyberattacks from a variety of malicious actors who have highly sophisticated methods of digital sabotage. The nature of these attacks can cause widespread power outages, damaged equipment, while also disrupting critical emergency services that can affect the public safety of millions of US citizens.

Globally recognized risk assessment conglomerate, Lloyd’s of London, drafted a 2015 hypothetical analysis of the likely cascading effects that a strategic cyber attack would have on a regional scale…

“Lloyd’s estimates that a Trojan virus that manages to infect just 50 generators — removing 10 percent of the grid’s total power — can trigger this cascade effect and knock out power for most of the East Coast, including New York City and Washington, DC. These rolling blackouts would stretch through 36 states over the course of a day, throwing some 93 million people into the dark. It could take up to three days for half of those people to get back online — while hardware damage and other problems could require up to three weeks to fix.

As the outages continue, more difficulties arise. The analysts warn that an information campaign running parallel to the cyberattack could prompt strikes, protests, or general unrest. Lloyd’s estimates that the total economic costs and losses could hit $1 trillion.”

    Conclusion: It’s impossible to predict future events with pinpoint accuracy, but if the average person took the time to review the troubling developments listed above in full context, it’s safe to say the majority of people would rightly conclude this is a potential recipe for a statewide energy crisis of considerable magnitude. If and when that scenario ends up engulfing Massachusetts, the existing financial burden that millions of residents have been experiencing will undoubtedly intensify going forward, and I think we can all agree the profit-driven priorities of the utility companies aren’t exactly going to align very well with the folks who are struggling to make ends meet.