Duke Sees Data-Center Growth Even Amid Backlash Across the US

Duke Energy Corp. is forecasting a data-center boom in regions it serves even amid the backlash that threatens the growth of the AI facilities elsewhere in the country.

“I don’t expect slowing in our territories,” Brian Savoy, chief financial officer of Charlotte, North Carolina-based Duke, said in an interview Thursday. “Data centers in our territories have not had a significant negative reaction.”

Surging utility bills and mounting opposition to data facilities shaped elections across much of the US this week. Now, data-center developers are facing the prospect of greater scrutiny and more regulation.

There’s also the possibility that states that will soon be led by Democrats will encourage utilities to support more clean power for data centers. In the case of North Carolina, the state will soon have a Democratic majority in the State House; it already has a Democratic governor.

Read More: AI Data Center Boom Set for Upheaval After US Election Rout

The data-center boom is helping drive a major expansion of Duke’s power supply. That includes more than 10 gigawatts of new natural-gas generation under construction or development, according to the company. (One gigawatt is equivalent to the capacity of a traditional nuclear reactor.)

Duke has signed deals to supply 7.8 gigawatts of power to data centers. It expects to have contracts totaling almost double that by early next year. The utility serves 8.7 million electric customers in North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky.

Duke expects continued growth in its territories “as long as we’re meeting the customers where they are, helping the communities see the benefits of the data centers,” Savoy said.