CenterPoint Energy's quarterly profit rises on surging data center demand

CenterPoint Energy

23/04/2026 12:27

April 23 (Reuters) - U.S. utility CenterPoint Energy CNP.N posted a rise in its first-quarter profit on Thursday, supported by surging electricity demand from data centers dedicated to artificial intelligence technologies.

Power consumption in the U.S. hit its second straight record high in 2025 and is expected to rise further over the next two years, as data centers lift electricity usage out of two decades of flat demand.

CenterPoint said it has more than 12 gigawatts of firmly committed industrial load and expects to provide electric services to 8 GW of projects located in the Greater Houston area by 2029, of which 3.5 GW is already under construction.

Last quarter, the utility raised its 10-year capital investment plan by $500 million to about $65.5 billion to help fund the infrastructure upgrades needed to meet rising power demand.

The ballooning electricity demand from data centers, however, has also led to rising electricity prices for a large swath of the country and raised concerns around affordability.

"The best way to deliver on affordability for our current customers is by bringing more connections onto our electric systems ... we project to be able to deliver customer savings of approximately $4 billion over the next decade," said Jason Wells, CEO of CenterPoint Energy.

CenterPoint provides electricity and natural gas to more than 7 million customers across Indiana, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, Ohio and Texas.

The Houston, Texas-based company posted net income of $316 million, or 48 cents per share, for the three months ended March 31, compared with $297 million, or 45 cents per share, a year ago.

 (Reporting by Dharna Bafna in Bengaluru; Editing by Sahal Muhammed)

 ((Dharna.Bafna@thomsonreuters.com))