US utilities are planning to spend a record $1.4 trillion on the power grid over the next five years, according to a study by PowerLines, a consumer education nonprofit. The investment is a 20% increase from what utility companies planned to spend last year on power plants, transmission lines, and distribution poles and wires. However, the investment could increase electricity bills for nearly 80 million Americans, who have been struggling to pay their utility bills. The report also highlighted the pressure on the US electrical grid, with data centers increasing nationwide electricity demand after decades of staying flat. Many of the plans still require state regulators' approval to proceed, so the full $1.,4 trillion investment might not come to fruition.