Since the Maryland General Assembly convened last month, Exelon has looked for a lawmaker to back a controversial bill that would allow the parent of Baltimore Gas and Electric Company to build and operate power plants, passing the costs on to customers.

Whether Exelon would find someone to endorse its idea wasn’t clear until late Monday, when Sen. Kevin Harris, a Democrat, filed the utility’s bill at the 11th hour before a procedural deadline.

The proposal comes during an escalating fight in the Maryland State House over the future of the regional power grid. The voracious power demands of artificial intelligence, data centers and increasing electrification are stressing the grid and causing worry that there won’t be enough power to meet Maryland’s demand.

Shortages could lead to outages and even higher bills, and top Maryland Democrats, including Gov. Wes Moore, argue that the state needs to produce more of its own power to ensure reliable and affordable energy.

Exelon, which also owns Pepco and Delmarva Power, argues that a reasonable solution is for the state legislature to allow it to reenter the power generation business. State ratepayer advocates and power plant companies oppose such a step, which they argue the utility company could use to expand its spending and collect even more from customer bills.

Utilities like BGE are generally allowed to recover their spending on power lines and other infrastructure, plus a reasonable return on investment, from their customers. Increased spending therefore results in increased rates, and this bill would continue that.

Exelon and its army of lobbyists seemed to struggle to find a lawmaker who would introduce its proposal in the Senate; Harris filed the proposal in the final hours before a deadline for legislation to receive a guaranteed hearing before the chamber’s energy and environment committee.

His proposal, dubbed the “Affordable Energy Act,” would call for state utility regulators to direct at least one utility company to build new power generation.

That would reverse decades of Maryland regulatory policy.

The bill, for which Harris is the lone sponsor, is tempered somewhat compared with a version drafted last month.

A copy of Harris’ bill includes crossed-out text that would have granted utilities the authority to build new natural gas generation, a polarizing fuel source because of its contributions to climate change. The bill instead limits utility ownership to large-scale battery storage and a list of state-approved “renewable” sources that includes wind, solar, biofuels and hydropower.

Harris, who represents parts of Calvert, Charles and Prince George’s counties, told reporters Monday that he submitted the bill because leaders should explore every possible tool to bolster energy production.

“We need to have all possible options out there for the state of Maryland,” he said. “Who knows whether this is the right one, but won’t know until we do the deep dive.”

The Democrat added that he thinks Exelon should only be able to build renewable power, not natural gas, and said the utility “had to do no convincing” to get him on board with their bill.

Exelon spokespersons did not respond to a request for comment on the bill Tuesday morning. The company has so far emphasized its interest in building zero-emissions battery storage and solar with legislators, though BGE’s CEO has made bigger picture arguments about the need for natural gas generation.

Exelon’s push has drawn criticism from Constellation Energy, which is based in Baltimore and is Maryland’s single largest generator of electricity.

Constellation spokesman Paul Adams pointed in a statement to a provision of existing Maryland law that already allows Exelon and its subsidiaries to build power plants at the discretion of state regulators. Regulators could set a plant’s rate of return, but Adams said Exelon wants to earn the likely higher guaranteed return it currently makes on its other system investments as a state utility.

“BGE wants new law to guarantee a return on any investment, whether or not that investment is in the best interests of Maryland ratepayers or at the lowest cost,” Adams said.

While Exelon now has legislation on the table, its proposal faces an uphill climb.

Senate President Bill Ferguson, who backed legislation last year aimed at bolstering in-state power generation, said lawmakers have “a level of skepticism” that this approach will really save money for ratepayers.

“There’s probably some more education and knowledge that needs to be provided before there is comfort with moving forward,” he said.

Brittany Baker, Maryland director for the Chesapeake Climate Action Network, said the utility industry hasn’t received the same reception in Annapolis as a year ago, when Democrats passed legislation to fast-track development of power generation in the state.

This time, Exelon and BGE have made their case in a weekslong advertising campaign, including television spots during Super Bowl and Olympics coverage, an effort that Baker sees as a sign the company doesn’t have broad support.

“Last year the track was so greased,” she said. Now, “BGE is really pulling teeth to try to move this forward.”