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Duke Energy reaches agreement on new, special rates for large users like data centers

Duke Energy headquarters in Charlotte.
David Boraks
/
WFAE
Duke Energy headquarters in Charlotte.

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Duke Energy has reached an agreement on a new large load tariff that would help keep rates low for residents and businesses, even as new hyperscale data centers come to the state.

If approved, the agreement would put new power-hungry customers on their own, separate set of rates. It would also impose strict contract terms to fund infrastructure upgrades and shield other ratepayers from the fallout if the companies building new data centers or other large energy-hungry facilities fail.

The rates would apply to customers who use at least 50 megawatts 80% of the time. That includes the large hyperscale data centers used for cloud storage and artificial intelligence.

The North Carolina Utilities Commission must approve the settlement before it takes effect.

This is a developing story and will be updated.

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Zachary Turner is a climate reporter and author of the WFAE Climate News newsletter. He freelanced for radio and digital print, reporting on environmental issues in North Carolina.