DUK · Earnings call · 2026Q3T · Full report

Data Center / Load Growth

Duke Energy CORP · 2026-11-04 · Importance null · Surprise 40 · In source text

Duke reported third-quarter demand growth of 2%, its strongest quarterly growth since 2022, and residential customer growth of nearly 2%, above the national average. Advanced manufacturing loads are beginning to come online and ramp, while contracted data center load is expected to start coming online in 2027. Management expects load growth of 3% to 4% over the remainder of the five-year plan, supported by population growth and economic development across its service territories. The company cited population growth above 2% and Charlotte as the fastest-growing city in the U.S. as indicators of continued demand.

Key facts

• Duke Energy expects 3%–4% load growth in 2027, supported by customer growth and economic-development project ramps.
• Duke Energy expects 3%–4% load growth over the remainder of its five-year plan as contracted data center load begins coming online in 2027.
• Duke Energy's 5.2 gigawatts of data centers under construction are on schedule to begin taking energy in the second half of 2027 and into 2028.
• Duke Energy said large-load customer revenue coming online in 2027 and ramping into 2028 and 2029 supports the opportunity to stay out of a North Carolina rate case.
• Duke Energy's residential customer growth is nearly 2%, above the national average.
• Duke Energy's third-quarter demand increased 2%, its strongest quarterly growth since 2022.

Impact estimates