Senate hopeful Roy Cooper shifts to curb data-center power costs in NC

Roy Cooper, the Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate, has reframed his position on data centers, urging operators to pay for the electricity they use and to develop on-site power generation. He contends that current tax breaks and exemptions have helped fuel a 15-fold increase in data-center construction, but also driven up utility rates for consumers. While serving as governor, Cooper supported incentives that attracted firms such as Apple, which received an $845 million grant and an additional $112.4 million for rural infrastructure, as well as companies like Meta, Microsoft, Google, and Corvid Technologies.

Recent criticism from Governor Josh Stein and utility provider Duke Energy links the sector to rising electricity costs, prompting Cooper to cite his veto of a utility-profit bill and legal challenges to Duke Energy. He emphasizes that local jurisdictions should have the final say on new projects and that data-center owners must bear their energy expenses without passing them onto households.