NC WARN

Agreement hides largest costs to North Carolinians and rebates upfront expenses to the tech billionaires

Last week, Duke Energy gained deceptive headlines and gushing praise after claiming its recent deal with tech oligarchs would protect other customers from the costs of providing power to controversial new A.I. data centers. In truth, the agreement cleverly excludes billions in coming expenses for new power plants to fuel these massive developments.  

The arrangement deals only with upgrades to grid equipment such as power lines and poles – not expensive new generating facilities. Duke says that data center developers would “pay” upfront for the grid upgrades, but the deal only involves letters of credit – or guarantees to Duke that developers would pay if they break their contracts. Otherwise, costs would be borne by other customers. 

Duke Energy also misled the public by framing the issue as a done deal – a wonderful one for data centers! – just because the Charlotte-based corporation reached agreement with the tech billionaires. In reality, the Commission still has a say, and the courts might also become involved. 

On top of it all, the negotiations locked out many interested parties by being announced and held within another ongoing Utilities Commission proceeding. Even a Utilities Commissioner, Donald van der Vaart, said that the process was exclusive and not an “adequate vehicle” for resolving the critically important issue.

This is one of Duke Energy’s biggest scandals ever. It seeks to paper over two of the public’s biggest concerns: that Duke Energy and A.I. data centers are driving up power bills and massively expanding fossil fuels – even as 2026 continues breaking records for cascading climate disasters in the US and across the world.

Duke Energy has claimed that its massive planned expansion of fracked-gas-fired power plants is to serve all customers, but NC WARN has proven that the demand for new plants is coming from the very data centers that Duke Energy spends millions to recruit.

NC WARN filed a demand on October 1 for all records from the Governor’s Office and Commerce Department pertaining to their assistance to Duke Energy in recruiting the data centers. 

Last week, NC WARN launched a statewide petition drive calling on Gov. Josh Stein to use his authority and political power to implement a 2-year moratorium on data centers. 

The Governor helped fuel the data center frenzy and massive backlash. Now, it’s on him to freeze current data center development and protect North Carolinians from further backroom scheming.

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Now in its 38th year, NC WARN is building people power in the climate and energy justice movement to persuade or require Charlotte-based Duke Energy – one of the world’s largest climate polluters – to make a quick transition to renewable, affordable power generation and energy efficiency in order to avert climate tipping points and ongoing rate hikes. 

The post Duke Energy’s Latest Lie: Backroom Deal “Protects” Other Customers from A.I. Data Center Costs — NC WARN News Release appeared first on NC WARN.

NC WARN today launched a statewide petition drive calling on Gov. Josh Stein to use his authority and political power to implement a 2-year moratorium on data centers. This move reflects the accelerating public backlash against the surge of A.I. data centers now notorious for air, water and noise pollution.

Stein has helped fuel the data center frenzy even as the public has learned about a host of harms when their communities are targeted for the sometimes massive projects, and even as A.I. has become a national pariah.

Now, it’s on the Governor to begin making amends. He must freeze current data center development, halt the secret scheming by data center proponents and establish a first-ever, transparent and fair decision-making process that prioritizes the interests and voices of targeted communities.

In June NC WARN began calling on Stein to stop Duke Energy and state officials from quietly strategizing to recruit the noxious plants. And NC WARN’s attorney has begun the steps necessary to require the Governor and Commerce department to release all public records showing their involvement in this burgeoning statewide scandal.

We and allies will use the petition to further press Gov. Stein to side with the public instead of A.I. developers and Duke Energy.

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Now in its 38th year, NC WARN is building people power in the climate and energy justice movement to persuade or require Charlotte-based Duke Energy – one of the world’s largest climate polluters – to make a quick transition to renewable, affordable power generation and energy efficiency in order to avert climate tipping points and ongoing rate hikes.

The post Statewide Pressure on Governor for 2-Year Freeze on Data Centers — NC WARN News Release appeared first on NC WARN.

Commerce Department and Governor’s Office must disclose state activities and dollars used to recruit community-harming corporations; media outlets invited to join

Today NC WARN’s attorney filed a public records request with both the Department of Commerce and the Governor’s Office demanding the release of all records relating to state personnel involved in and resources spent recruiting data centers. Under the NC Public Records Act, state officials are required to respond.

North Carolinians have a legal right to know how much tax money is being doled out to some of the world’s richest corporations that continue targeting communities across the state – and which state officials have plotted with those polluters and Duke Energy to distort and conceal critical information from the public.

NC WARN invites media outlets to join our demand for full disclosure on this issue of enormous public concern.

An August report by the NC Budget & Tax Center estimates the state is in the process of pouring billions of tax dollars into various incentives, tax credits and other subsidies for AI data centers. In addition, NC WARN demands to know how much time and expenses have been dedicated by state employees strategizing with data center developers, Duke Energy and others.

The Center’s report notes that “data center subsidies are bad policy.” Economic development is often chanted as the justification for large projects by developers and state leaders. But among the many key points cited in the Center’s report:

• Data centers provide very few permanent jobs, and they are low-paid positions.
• Tech corporations [and state leaders] exaggerate data center jobs by including temporary construction jobs.
• Data centers pose numerous harms to individuals and communities. 

These harms include health damage from air emissions, water and noise pollution, and the disproportionate siting in communities of color and/or low wealth.

Governor Stein is among those who have praised the influx of data centers to the state; he was “damn excited” about Amazon’s construction of a data center in Richmond County. That’s softened a bit in recent months as public backlash across the state and nation has accelerated and as more is exposed about the harms of hyper-scale data centers, including the soaring power bills they cause for other electricity users.

Now, state leaders must begin making amends by coming clean. They must stop using nondisclosure agreements and claims of trade secrets to block the public’s view and enact a statewide, two-year moratorium on data centers as we all assess the damage being done.

Since June, NC WARN has called on Gov. Stein to ban Duke Energy from spending millions annually to recruit data centers as the sole justification for planning the nation’s largest buildout of fossil fuel generation. Why should a state-sanctioned monopoly be allowed to spend captive-customer money to pad its profits while driving up power bills and the global climate crisis?

There’s no straightforward way that we can force Duke Energy to divulge how many millions it spends annually to recruit dozens of controversial AI data centers. But under state law, agencies and officials must turn over all pertinent records – or face legal action.

It is indefensible for state leaders to use taxpayer money to fund the polluters that work against the public interest. It’s even worse that they keep doing so in the shadows.

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Now in its 38th year, NC WARN is building people power in the climate and energy justice movement to persuade or require Charlotte-based Duke Energy – one of the world’s largest climate polluters – to make a quick transition to renewable, affordable power generation and energy efficiency in order to avert climate tipping points and ongoing rate hikes.

The post NC WARN Files Public Right-to-Know Demand Over AI Data Centers — NC WARN News Release appeared first on NC WARN.

NC Governor Stein must stop the backroom scheming and lead a moratorium on data centers

NC WARN is calling a flagrant foul against corporate polluters – and state officials – for their use of persistent secrecy and deception in the targeting of communities across North Carolina for noxious data centers and fracked-gas pipelines.

Across the state, data center developers and Duke Energy continue using various tools of secrecy and influence to gain support from local leaders for unwanted projects before the public learns of the plans. Even after basic disclosure, the full extent of negative community impacts remains hidden by those operating in the shadows. 

In a letter sent today, NC WARN repeats our June 25 call for Governor Josh Stein to stop Duke Energy from recruiting data centers and to lead a moratorium on new ones. It’s clear that his silence indicates the odious, backroom deal-making continues – and almost surely includes state officials and tax money. 

NEW POWER PLANTS TOO

We also told Stein today that many communities targeted for data centers will also be saddled with new power plants built next to the energy-hogging data centers, thus forcing them to bear the significant health burdens of fossil fuel power generation.

Stein must immediately stop Duke Energy from continuing to recruit data centers, which the climate-wrecking corporation uses to justify the largest planned fossil fuel expansion in the US, causing power bills and climate pollution to soar for years. The Governor must also demand a statewide moratorium on new data centers – as called for by a state regulator’s expert in June.

Data center developments have faced well-deserved backlash from communities across the state and nation due to their massive power and water usage, air, water and noise pollution, economic burdens on the public and low job production, among the many factors. Nationally, concerns mount about AI’s role enhancing government-corporate surveillance and war-making.

One of the emerging deceptions is that data centers would pay for new power generation built by Duke Energy. Indications are that Duke leaders are scheming to quietly rebate any upfront costs paid by data center owners, thus forcing even more rate hikes onto other monopoly-captive customers.  

North Carolinians are being cheated, and our Governor must demand that it stop.  

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Now in its 38th year, NC WARN is building people power in the climate and energy justice movement to persuade or require Charlotte-based Duke Energy – one of the world’s largest climate polluters – to make a quick transition to renewable, affordable power generation and energy efficiency in order to avert climate tipping points and ongoing rate hikes.

The post Flagrant Foul Called Against Polluters and State Officials Pushing Secretive Data Centers, Pipelines – and Power Plants — NC WARN News Release appeared first on NC WARN.