In the midst of the Utilities Commission’s rate hike public hearings and the epoch of AI data centers, all eyes are on the new Republican-led Utilities Commission about their decision on whether Duke Energy can increase electric rates up to 18% over two years.
North Carolina Governor Josh Stein has stated that a special tax exemption for data centers needs to be reduced or eliminated due to the centers contributing to rising energy costs for North Carolinians. A 300-megawatt data center can use as much electricity as roughly 200,000 North Carolina homes running nonstop, and look to tax dollars for funding. The same corporations that are using tax subsidies for construction are also fracking in order to power their centers.
“AI will be part of our future, and we want to keep innovation central to this state’s economic development strategy, but we cannot be blind to the impact these data centers are having on our state. They need to pay their way, so that our residential consumers don’t have to bear the cost,” said Gov. Josh Stein.
Many North Carolinians are advocating against the harmful rate hikes by attending public hearings hosted by the Utilities Commission. The next in-person Utilities Commission public hearing will be in Morganton on April 28th.
“We’d be sitting in the dark if it goes up any higher,” North Carolina resident Sheila Sherrick said.
North Carolinians are struggling with the high costs of living on top of high electricity bills. We must make our voices heard by attending public hearings and continuing to speak about the harms that are caused by data centers and rate hikes in our communities.
To find an upcoming public hearing on the rate hike, go to NCUC: Hearing Schedule
