Duke Energy strikes deal with tech giants to shield NC customers from data center costs

Duke Energy: Duke Energy is a major electric utility company headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, that provides electricity service to customers across the Carolinas and other southeastern states. In this development, the company negotiated and reached a settlement with major technology firms and state regulators to expand protections ensuring large-load customers such as data centers cover the costs of their grid connections and upgrades in North Carolina. The agreement builds on Duke Energy's earlier customer protection measures implemented in 2024. Customer Protection: Utilities in North Carolina are increasingly using settlements and specific tariffs to allocate infrastructure costs for large energy users directly to those customers instead of spreading expenses across all ratepayers. Data Center Expansion: North Carolina continues to attract significant data center development from major technology companies, driving the need for updated rate structures to manage grid impacts.