Duke Energy: Data center growth will deliver billions of dollars in customer savings

• With the Customer Protection Plus framework, Duke Energy is committed to responsibly managing growth while maintaining reliability and creating customer benefits

CHARLOTTE, N.C., July 23, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Duke Energy customers will benefit from billions of dollars in long-term bill relief as data centers begin operations.

"Data centers will provide billions of dollars in customer benefits," said Harry Sideris, president and CEO of Duke Energy. "Duke Energy remains laser-focused on ensuring data centers not only pay their fair share but also yield savings for our existing customers."

Working with customers, regulators and other stakeholders, Duke Energy will ensure growth in energy demand creates lasting value for everyone. New revenues from growth support ongoing investments that improve the grid and expand energy resources.

How Duke Energy creates customer value from data center growth
Duke Energy's Customer Protection Plus framework guides how the company evaluates, plans for and manages data center growth. It's built on three priorities:

• Preserve Reliability: Before new data center customers connect to the electric system, Duke Energy conducts engineering studies to ensure the grid can safely serve them while maintaining reliable service and power quality for existing customers.

• Power Responsible Growth: Large customers like data centers sign long-term agreements designed to protect existing customers and deliver customer savings.
  
  Agreements can include customer-funded connection costs, long-term commitments, upfront financial security, termination charges and temporary curtailment provisions for limited, targeted grid events. Together, these provisions provide greater certainty, support long-term planning and help ensure growth creates value for customers.

• Produce Shared Value: When revenues from new large-load customers exceed the cost of serving them, those projects will create customer benefits while supporting investments that strengthen the grid, expand energy resources and support long-term economic growth across communities.

Learn more about the Customer Protection Plus framework and Duke Energy's approach for data centers at duke-energy.com/DataCenters.

What they're saying
"We've always put customers first, and these agreements are designed to do exactly that. Through long-term commitments, financial protections and careful planning, we're working to ensure growth supports reliability and creates lasting value for customers."
-Harry Sideris, president and CEO, Duke Energy

"A lot of the discussion around data centers focuses on how much energy they use. We're equally focused on what that growth can mean for all customers. We're committed to an ongoing, collaborative and transparent partnership with our customers, regulators and other stakeholders to ensure projects create meaningful customer benefits, all while ensuring the energy system is prepared for future growth."
-Sasha Weintraub, EVP and chief customer officer, Duke Energy

Duke Energy
Duke Energy (NYSE: DUK), a Fortune 150 company headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., is one of America's largest energy holding companies. The company's electric utilities serve 8.7 million customers in North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky, and collectively own 55,700 megawatts of energy capacity. Its natural gas utilities serve 1.6 million customers in North Carolina, South Carolina, Ohio and Kentucky.

Duke Energy is executing an energy modernization strategy, keeping customer value at the forefront as it invests in electric grid upgrades and efficient generation resources to strengthen the system and serve growing energy needs.

More information is available at duke-energy.com. Follow Duke Energy on X, LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook for stories about the people and innovations powering its communities.

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SOURCE Duke Energy