Soaring Power Prices Send US on Search for Solutions (1)

US politicians are racing to tame the soaring cost of electricity that threatens to upend this year’s congressional elections.

The Energy Department has loaned $26.5 billion — the most in its history — to help a big Southeastern utility reduce the cost of building new power plants in Georgia and Alabama. Meanwhile, the nation’s biggest grid operator has proposed capping wholesale prices and some governors are weighing utility rate freezes as a way to keep a lid on electricity costs.

The affordability problem prompted a White House meeting to be held Wednesday with technology executives to address price spikes ...