FirstEnergy’s long-term pipeline of data center load, contracted and other potential load combined, grew 4.8 percent in the third quarter to 26 gigawatts, and contracted load through 2036 rose to 7.9 gigawatts from 6.4 gigawatts in the second quarter, the company said in its earnings presentation on Wednesday. West Virginia accounts for 6 gigawatts of the pipeline, up from 4.3 gigawatts three months earlier, and the company’s Monongahela Power and Potomac Edison utilities are seeking state approval for the Maidsville Energy Center, a roughly 2.7 billion dollar project built around a 1,200 megawatt gas-fired plant, with a commission decision expected in the fourth quarter.
Chief executive Brian Tierney said data center demand across the six-state footprint will drive transmission investment at least 25 percent above the current 19 billion dollar plan, an increase of about 4.75 billion dollars, and the company is studying quickly built bridge generation, including reciprocating engines, fuel cells and batteries, for campuses that want to start near 100 megawatts. Third quarter net income rose 26 percent from a year earlier to 557 million dollars.