CenterPoint Energy reported higher first-quarter earnings on Thursday, buoyed by a sharp rise in electricity demand from data centres powering artificial intelligence technologies in the United States.
The Houston-based utility said net income rose to $316 million, or 48 cents per share, in the three months ended March 31, compared with $297 million, or 45 cents per share, a year earlier.
The earnings growth comes amid record-high U.S. electricity consumption in 2025, with demand expected to keep climbing over the next two years as data centre expansion reverses decades of largely flat power usage.
CenterPoint said it has secured more than 12 gigawatts of firmly committed industrial load, reflecting strong demand from energy-intensive customers, particularly in the technology sector.
The company also expects to supply electricity to projects totaling 8 gigawatts in the Greater Houston area by 2029, with about 3.5 gigawatts already under construction.
To support this growth, the utility recently increased its 10-year capital expenditure plan by $500 million to approximately $65.5 billion, aimed at upgrading infrastructure and expanding capacity.
Executives say the investments are necessary to ensure reliability and meet surging demand linked to the rapid buildout of AI-related facilities.
However, the boom in data centre activity has contributed to rising electricity prices across parts of the country, raising concerns about affordability for households and smaller businesses.
Chief Executive Jason Wells said expanding grid connections would help spread costs and deliver long-term savings, with the company targeting about $4 billion in customer savings over the next decade.
CenterPoint currently supplies electricity and natural gas to more than 7 million customers across several U.S. states, positioning itself to benefit from the accelerating energy needs of the digital economy.