North Carolina Advances Bill Requiring Data Centers to Pay More and Pausing Coal Retirements

Overview

• Republican lawmakers moved the package quickly this week after a key House committee advanced the measure and the full House approved it, placing the proposal on a fast path through the GOP-controlled legislature.
• The bill would force data centers to shoulder more of their own electricity, interconnection and infrastructure costs to reduce the burden on local ratepayers and governments.
• It bars utilities from retiring coal-fired plants until they secure required permits for new nuclear facilities, tying plant retirements to nuclear permitting milestones.
• Lawmakers ordered a study of North Carolina’s 2050 carbon-neutrality goal that supporters say could justify rescinding or weakening the benchmark.
• Supporters say the changes will protect household bills and grid reliability, while tech industry groups and Democrats warn the measures could raise costs, hurt competitiveness for data center investment and trigger legal and regulatory fights over rates and incentives.