TECO submits plan to ensure customers don't pay for data centers
Tampa Electric Company submitted a plan to ensure large-load customers such as data centers pay for their share of existing grid costs and any new infrastructure they require. The filing follows a Florida law signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis, while a federal bill establishing similar protections failed to advance in the U.S. Senate.
Tampa Electric Company filed a data center cost-allocation plan ahead of Florida's deadline, responding to a law signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis in May. The plan requires large-load customers, including potential data centers, to cover their portion of existing grid costs and pay for new equipment needed to support their electricity demand, preventing those expenses from being shifted to other customers.
TECO said it currently does not serve any large-load customers in its coverage area. Duke Energy, which also serves parts of the Tampa Bay region, said it filed its own data center plan in September and amended it in April to comply with the Florida law. In Washington, a bill that would have created a national standard for data center costs failed to receive the 60 votes needed in the Senate.