一个由两党议员组成的团体正在敦促联邦监管机构阻止这家价值数十亿美元的电力公司 AES 的收购交易，他们警告称该交易可能会提高电力用户的费用，从而让数据中心受益。在9月28日致联邦能源监管委员会（FERC）主席劳拉·斯威特（Laura Swett）的信中，这些议员指出，这笔收购并不符合公众利益。该团体由四位国会议员组成，包括马萨诸塞州民主党参议员伊丽莎白·沃伦（Elizabeth Warren）以及印第安纳州民主党众议员安德烈·卡森（Andre Carson）、维多利亚·斯帕茨（Victoria Spartz）和阿亚娜·普雷斯利（Ayanna Pressley）。
A bipartisan group of lawmakers are urging federal regulators to block the multi-billion-dollar sale of power company AES, warning the deal could raise electricity costs for utility customers to benefit data centers. In a Sept. 28 letter to Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) Chair Laura Swett, lawmakers argued the acquisition would not be in the public interest. The group consisted of four Congress members, including Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass) and Reps. Andre Carson (D-Ind.), Victoria Spartz (R-Ind.), Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) and Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.).
今年3月，BlackRock 的 Global Infrastructure Partners 公司、私募股权公司 EQT 及其他投资者同意以超过330亿美元的价格收购 AES，这成为近年来电力行业最大的交易之一。信中写道：“在美国人面临创纪录的高额公用事业账单之际，私募股权行业对公用事业市场的介入将对消费者的能源成本产生重大影响。”这封信最初由路透社（Reuters）报道。
BlackRock’s Global Infrastructure Partners, private equity firm EQT and other investors agreed in March to acquire AES in a deal valued at more than $33 billion, making it one of the largest power sector transactions in recent years. “The private equity industry’s involvement in the public utility market has significant implications for consumers’ energy costs at a time when Americans are facing record high utility bills,” the letter reads, which was first reported by Reuters.
议员们表示，这笔交易可能会迫使 AES 追求更高的投资回报，从而导致电价上涨，最终这些成本将转嫁给消费者。他们指出，Global Infrastructure Partners 的目标回报率在15%至20%之间，而受监管的公用事业公司的历史平均回报率仅为10%。该团体还对 BlackRock 在电力基础设施和数据中心领域的投资表示担忧；近年来，全国各地都在建设数据中心以支持新兴的人工智能技术，而这些数据中心正是美国电力需求增长的主要驱动力。
The lawmakers said the deal could put pressure on AES to generate higher returns, potentially leading to higher electricity rates that would eventually fall on the consumer. They pointed to Global Infrastructure Partners’ target returns of 15 percent to 20 percent, compared with a historical median of 10 percent for regulated utilities. The group also raised concerns surrounding BlackRock’s investments in power infrastructure and data centers, which have popped up across the country to power emerging AI technology. Both industries are driving much of the growth in U.S. electricity demand.
信中进一步指出：“更糟糕的是，如果数据中心发生故障，消费者可能仍需通过更高的公用事业账单来承担不必要的升级费用。”AES 在给路透社的声明中反驳了这些担忧，称此次收购预计不会对其受监管的公用事业业务产生任何影响。
“Even worse, if a data center fails, consumers may continue paying for the unnecessary upgrades via increased utility bills,” the letter reads. AES pushed back on those concerns, saying in a statement to Reuters that the acquisition is not expected to affect rates at its regulated utilities.
这家上市公司告诉路透社，其在印第安纳州和俄亥俄州的电力公用事业客户不会承担与收购相关的成本，包括收购溢价或交易费用。AES还表示，这笔交易将改善其获得资本的能力，以投资电网基础设施。根据这笔已获AES股东批准的交易，AES将成为一家非上市公司。该交易仍需获得美国联邦能源监管委员会（FERC）的批准，预计将于今年晚些时候或明年年初完成。
The publicly held company told Reuters that customers at its electrical utilities in Indiana and Ohio would not pay costs associated with the acquisition, including the purchase premium or transaction expenses. AES also said the deal would improve its access to capital to invest in grid infrastructure. Under the deal, which AES shareholders approved, AES would become a privately held company. The deal still requires FERC approval, and is expected to close later this year or early next year.