CenterPoint unveils $65 billion capital spending plan over subsequent 10 years

(Reuters) -CenterPoint Vitality on Monday introduced it was planning $65 billion in capital spending from 2026 via 2035, as U.S. utilities rush to capitalize on surging energy demand.

Knowledge facilities devoted to synthetic intelligence and cryptocurrency, in addition to the electrification of industries equivalent to transportation, are driving up U.S. energy consumption.

CenterPoint additionally raised its annual adjusted earnings per share forecast to between $1.75 and $1.77 per share, from $1.74 to $1.76 per share earlier. The brand new vary is 9% larger on the midpoint than final yr.

Analysts estimate $1.76 per share, in keeping with information compiled by LSEG.

The U.S. electrical and gasoline utility additionally expects 2026 adjusted EPS focusing on at the very least the midpoint of the vary of $1.89 to $1.91 per share.

Energy demand from U.S. information facilities is predicted to just about triple within the subsequent three years and eat as a lot as 12% of the full electrical energy produced, in keeping with a research by Lawrence Berkeley Nationwide Laboratory.

CenterPoint reiterated that electrical peak load demand will enhance about 50% to just about 31 gigawatts (GWs) by 2031 and forecast peak energy demand to double by the center of the subsequent decade.

“Continued financial growth is anticipated to drive vital development in electrical demand over the subsequent decade, particularly in Texas,” the corporate mentioned in an announcement.

CenterPoint in Could mentioned it intends to spend $4 billion in new tasks to assist its development in Texas.

Texas is likely one of the quickest-growing information heart markets, with the business-friendly state additionally attracting different types of energy-intensive industries equivalent to laptop chip manufacturing.

CenterPoint delivers electrical energy and pure gasoline to greater than 7 million clients throughout Indiana, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, Ohio and Texas.

(Reporting by Katha Kalia in Bengaluru; Modifying by Devika Syamnath)