Roy Cooper Urges Data Centers to Fund Their Own Power as $845 Million Apple Incentive Draws Scrutiny
Updated
Updated · Fox News · Aug 30
Roy Cooper Urges Data Centers to Fund Their Own Power as $845 Million Apple Incentive Draws Scrutiny
2 articles · Updated · Fox News · Aug 30
Summary
Roy Cooper, now North Carolina’s Democratic Senate nominee, says data centers should pay for all the power they use and build their own energy sources so electricity costs are not shifted onto households and small businesses.
The shift ties the issue to affordability: Cooper argues rapid data-center growth is helping push up utility bills, while his campaign says local communities should have final say over new projects, including moratoriums.
That stance contrasts with Cooper’s record as governor, when North Carolina’s data-center buildout surged and his administration backed projects including an Apple package worth $845 million over 39 years plus $112.4 million for rural infrastructure.
CBRE said North Carolina saw a 15-fold jump in data-center construction, aided by tax incentives that state reporting shows 37 companies used between 2015 and 2025.
Cooper has not called for a ban, but joins a broader Democratic push to cast data centers as a consumer-cost issue ahead of the Nov. 3 general election.