North Carolina lawmakers plan to introduce the Ratepayer Protection Act as early as May 20, 2026. This legislation mandates that large-scale data centers cover the full costs of required new infrastructure and power generation.
The proposal aims to prevent these expenses from being passed to residential and commercial customers through general rate increases. Duke Energy currently cites the boom in data centers and artificial intelligence as a primary driver for requested rate hikes and new power plants.
The bill would shift the financial burden of grid expansion directly to data center developers. This change potentially impacts Duke Energy’s capital investment plans and negotiations with major new customers.