NC Regulators Block Duke Energy's $584M Gas Turbine Plan Near Amazon Data Center

North Carolina regulators have denied Duke Energy's proposal to build a $584 million natural gas turbine near Hamlet, citing concerns over data center demand and customer costs. The decision blocks the expansion of Duke's Sherwood H. Smith Energy Complex for now.

The North Carolina Utilities Commission said Duke must provide more evidence about its forecast for electricity demand, the project's costs, and whether other options could meet that demand more affordably.

Duke proposed adding a turbine capable of generating 255 megawatts of electricity by 2030. The existing power plant sits next to Amazon's planned $10 billion data center campus in Richmond County.