Duke Energy faces significant opposition in North Carolina over a proposed 18% rate hike for residential households. The utility claims the increase is necessary to upgrade grid infrastructure for new data centers.
Community members are protesting rising electricity bills at public hearings. Some local governments have responded by passing moratoriums on new data center construction.
Consumer and climate advocates are challenging the proposal before state regulators. They suggest creating a specific customer class for large-load users to fund their own infrastructure upgrades. This model would also allow data centers to source their own renewable energy.
The regulatory decision will impact Duke’s $87 billion five-year capital plan. This plan includes 9.7 gigawatts of new natural gas plants to meet projected demand growth.