Plug Power climbs 7% after US House passes energy bill

Plug Power shares climbed 7% to $2.17 on Thursday, 17 September 2026, driven by legislative momentum in Washington. The US House of Representatives passed the Ratepayer Protection Act by a near-unanimous margin.

The bill requires data center operators to cover the costs of power generation, transmission lines, and grid upgrades demanded by their electricity consumption. By preventing these expenses from being spread across residential and commercial utility ratepayers, the proposed rules favor behind-the-meter, on-site energy solutions.

While Plug Power's current operations focus primarily on material handling and electrolyzers rather than dedicated data center generation, investors treated the vote as an indicator of broader adoption for fuel cell systems. The legislation still requires approval from the US Senate before becoming law, meaning current market gains reflect expectations rather than signed contracts.

Other sector peers also advanced following the vote. FuelCell Energy shares rose 13% to $17.47, Bloom Energy gained 3% to $278.58, and GE Vernova traded higher. Across the wider market, the Global X Hydrogen ETF rose 3% to $45.3, while the SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust added 0.9% to reach $760.66.