Duke Energy, NC Public Staff Reach Settlement on Data Center Costs

Duke Energy’s two North Carolina utilities, Duke Energy Carolinas and Duke Energy Progress, reached a settlement with the North Carolina Public Staff — joined by Amazon, Google, Meta, Microsoft and other parties — that would expand requirements intended to keep the costs of serving data centers and other large-load customers off existing customers, the company announced on October 7, 2026.

The changes are reflected in a settlement between the two utilities and North Carolina Public Staff, the agency that represents utility customers. Other parties to the agreement include Amazon, Google, Meta, Microsoft, the Carolina Industrial Group for Fair Utility Rates and the U.S. Department of Defense. Duke Energy said it implemented substantial customer protections in 2024 so that large-load customers pay the costs to serve them, and that the agreement memorializes and enhances those protections. “It’s simple – data centers will pay upfront for all costs to connect to the grid,” Kendal Bowman, Duke Energy’s North Carolina president, said in the announcement. “We’re shielding other customers from these costs in a way that protects reliability and ensures everyone benefits from…