< Previous126 SEPTEMBER 2025 SITE SELECTION Corporate facility investment: $1 billion Jobs created: 1,064 Population and territory: Nebraska Public Power District’s chartered service territory includes all or parts of 84 of Nebraska’s 93 counties, with a population of 530,000. Highlights: The NPPD team has implemented new programs that projects fi nd very helpful, says Nicole Sedlacek: a special power product, interruptible market-based rate and a demand response program. Both of these rate products help large energy users respond to resource needs on the system. A baker’s dozen of projects that landed in NPPD territory include a $375 million, 55-job investment by Norfolk Crush in Norfolk; a $325 million, 875-job project from Sustainable Beef in North Platte; a $76 million, 83-job project from AGP in David City; and a $65 million, 12-job investment from Green Plains in Central City. Last fall, NPPD was honored as the 2024 Economic Development Partner of the Year by the North Platte Chamber of Commerce. “NPPD is known as a support resource to help with research, prospect visits, site readiness assistance and many other ways to help the North Platte community with their economic development goals,” Sedlacek said then. NPPD has worked closely with the community over the last several decades and most recently played a vital role in the development of Hershey Rail Park, a 300-acre site intended to attract agribusiness, manufacturing and processing. Nebraska Public Power District Columbus, Nebraska Nicole Sedlacek, Economic Development Manager www.nppd.com WEST NORTH CENTRAL Corporate facility investment: $1 billion Jobs created: 1,325 Population and territory: OPPD serves a 13-county, 5,000-square-mile service area in southeast Nebraska that is home to 1 million people. Highlights: OPPD continues to serve as an offi cial resource partner with SourceLink Nebraska, which connects aspiring entrepreneurs and business owners with resources to start, scale or accelerate their business in Nebraska. The OPPD team also continues to serve companies with SizeUpNebraska, which empowers Nebraska businesses to make data-driven decisions that foster their growth and success. The LocationOne Information System (LOIS) used by OPPD to track available sites and buildings for development this summer showed 240 sites and 1,394 buildings in or near OPPD territory. The latest data (2023) from the U.S. Energy Information Administration shows that OPPD rates, averaged across all classes, were 15.8% below the regional average and 27.4% below the national average, with industrial rates that were 11.6% below the regional average and 13.6% below the national average. Among operational projects in the works, OPPD continues to upgrade its transmission system in North Douglas County to serve increasing customer demand for electricity, provide additional capacity for economic development growth, support future electrical system enhancements and maintain reliability. Omaha Public Power District Omaha, Nebraska Brook Aken, Director - Economic Development & External Relations oppd.com/business/economic-development/ WEST NORTH CENTRAL128 SEPTEMBER 2025 SITE SELECTION N eed power? Who doesn’t? Need it right away? Get in line. As Site Selection Executive Vice President Ron Starner told an audience at the Minnesota Rural Electric Association in August, the requests for large-load power supply today are unprecedented. They come primarily (but not exclusively) from the more than 600 data center projects in the U.S. tracked by Site Selection’s Conway Projects Database since January 2020. JLL said in August that the average wait time for a grid connection in the U.S. has now reached four years. Site Selection’s annual survey asked utility economic development leaders how they are responding. Here are excerpts from responses we received: Alabama Power: As we evaluate where our electrical system can serve very large loads, communities need to evaluate what types of projects they want to prioritize. Alabama Power has taken the lead role in educating the candidate communities on the needs and interests of these unique prospects. From a utility perspective, Alabama Power has formed a cross-functional committee comprised of members in economic development, resource planning, sales, transmission, regulatory and others to discuss the current state of economic development activity and upcoming opportunities and challenges. Alabama Power is evaluating opportunities to site new generation while minimizing the risk to existing rate payers. American Electric Power: In recent years, numerous data centers have concentrated in Central Ohio, served by AEP Ohio, making the region one of the leading markets nationwide. As we entered 2024, we were even more proactive in showcasing viable sites in other parts of our 11-state service territory. We identified large load sites in cooperation with our communities to make sure we were aligned on future development. These sites had access to the right infrastructure from both the electric and water system standpoint, as well as community backing to support the entitlement processes. This change has led to serious negotiations with several hyperscalers for new projects, which have already begun to materialize in other AEP operating by ADAM BRUNS adam.bruns@siteselection.com POWER How Utilities Are Answering the Call for Large-Load Power Supply & Response: Demand Data centers have proliferated in Ashburn, Virginia. Photo: Getty Images SITE SELECTION SEPTEMBER 2025 129 companies. Additionally, we are witnessing a surge in developer activity, as opportunistic developers aim to secure sites in anticipation of future capacity needs. To accommodate the expected doubling of electricity demand driven largely by data centers by 2030, AEP Ohio plans to invest $4.9 billion in our capital plan from 2025 to 2029. South Carolina Power Team: South Carolina’s Electric Cooperatives maintain focus on providing reliable and affordable power for all our members. While our system is experiencing unprecedented growth with industrial wins, commercial opportunities and a rapidly growing population, that commitment to our current members is still prioritized. We have demonstrated flexibility and creativity to complex power issues and will always strive for a suitable solution for current and potential members. Like many of our utility partners, we continue to face many challenges with generation and transmission capacity and supply chain issues. These issues have significantly impacted our ability to respond quickly to specific projects; however, with these challenges come great opportunity. We are in the process of modernizing our infrastructure and positioning ourselves to continue to be a critical partner in the success of South Carolina for years to come. ComEd: The biggest challenge remains meeting customers’ accelerated timelines for service. Working with our parent company Exelon, ComEd helps customers engineer project plans to account for supply chain issues that have impacted delivery times for major equipment such as transformers, circuit breakers and switchgear control buildings. To mitigate this, ComEd collects long lead material deposits very early in the engineering process to secure manufacturing production slots from our vendor/supplier network. To help the situation further, we launched a corporate effort to reduce lead times for new onsite substations for large customers. This involves conducting detailed engineering for new ComEd standard 138 and 345kV customer substations. In addition, we are purchasing long lead materials for these substations. Combining the ready-made plans and layouts with stocked equipment means new substations can be deployed more quickly with minor site-specific enhancements. Consumers Energy: Consumers Energy’s economic development and energy supply teams continue to build on an already robust, proactive, collaborative and mutually beneficial relationship. As requests for new electric load come larger and faster than ever, the combination of “early and often” communication and processes that parse concrete needs from speculation help both organizations respond at the speed of business. In May 2025, the State of Michigan, Consumers Energy and DTE announced an innovative public-private partnership to grow Michigan’s energy supply chain. The utilities committed to invest a combined $3.5 billion annually to purchase energy technology, equipment and services from Michigan-based businesses ... The partnership will reduce lead times and customer costs for critical energy infrastructure and components. Entergy: Creative partnerships with prospective customers are key. Additionally, alignment with regulators, such as the Mississippi Public Service Commission, and constructive regulation is necessary. Entergy’s partnership with Amazon Web Services (AWS) in Mississippi is a prime example of the company’s collaborative approach. Over the course of six years, Entergy Mississippi worked closely with AWS to ensure a smooth and efficient transition for the company’s $10 billion investment in the state, which includes two new data center campuses. In Louisiana, Entergy’s economic development team has contributed to multiple wins across the state, including the Meta artificial intelligence data center project. To support the growing demand, the first phase of Entergy Louisiana’s comprehensive grid resilience plan was approved by the Louisiana Public Service TO ACCESS BONUS CONTENT SCAN Scan the QR code above to access more utility responses to the unprecedented level of large-load power requests. ‘The biggest challenge remains meeting customers’ accelerated timelines for service.’130 SEPTEMBER 2025 SITE SELECTION Commission in 2024, with work commencing across the state. Over the next five years, this plan will fortify and expand infrastructure to supply the historic growth of new and expanding businesses announced throughout the state. Georgia Power: We assisted the state in identifying and analyzing potential new megasite locations, while collaborating with our internal Area Planning and Customer Choice groups to identify top sites for electric capacity and assist with site matching for data centers. We also created and designed proprietary GIS-based tools to help our operations manage the large projects load queue in real time since requests were moving so fast. Site characteristics and needs were changing quickly, and having the ability to adjust our own systems and add improvements was a competitive advantage. The biggest obstacles were the large number of requests, new processes needed to implement to handle these requests and a thoughtful approach on how to prioritize the queue and charge appropriately to ensure costs are not assumed by other customers. We assisted with the former and our internal operations rolled out new provisions for the latter. To meet customer loads, our processes, forecasting risk model, internal communication, pricing structures and expansion of energy offerings all had to change and adapt. To serve unprecedented energy load demand due to economic success, the company filed a 2023 IRP Update between three-year cycles to ask the Georgia PSC for additional load. They also presented and received approval for an update to Georgia Power’s rules and regulations to ensure large load customers over 100 MWs continue to pay for their costs to serve. Hoosier Energy: Since 2021, we’ve seen a surge in large, complex projects — data centers, EV supply chain facilities, and semiconductor fabs — requiring unprecedented power capacity and speed to market. In response, we launched a comprehensive, cross- functional initiative to align internal operations, member cooperatives and external stakeholders around a shared growth strategy. Working closely with our member distribution cooperatives, we developed a pro-growth economic development strategy that emphasizes flexibility, optionality, and speed — key attributes for serving today’s high-demand projects. This includes Board- approved incentives, such as revised load class structures and an updated economic development rider, designed to give our members a competitive edge. We also conducted a data-driven review of our infrastructure and available sites, identifying opportunities to proactively invest in upgrades that reduce time-to-power and improve site competitiveness. This work is supported by our $411 million transmission modernization plan, which is enhancing grid reliability and capacity across our 1,720-mile network. LG&E and KU Energy LLC: Our Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) provides a 15-year roadmap for meeting new and emerging electric load demands and was filed SITE SELECTION SEPTEMBER 2025 131 in 2024. The ED team informs this plan with real-time data about project trends and anticipated customer needs. This internal collaboration helps us ensure we are planning infrastructure that is responsive to economic growth and large-scale industrial activity. The Companies also filed to construct new generation resources primarily driven by the projection of future ED load including large manufacturing and data centers. Information from the ED team, including the pipeline of opportunities, timing of decisions, location of projects and probabilities of project announcements all generated through our CRM system, has been a primary input to the case. An approval by the Kentucky Public Service Commission presents an opportunity to create a competitive advantage for Kentucky and the communities in the LKE service territories. Mississippi Power: Large load industrial and data center project inquiries have been very active in MPC’s territory. To manage this activity and ensure rapid responses to inquiries, MPC took a proactive approach by collaborating over several months with our generation planning and power delivery teams. Our team identified key industrial sites that could service large electrical loads within a competitive timeline. Detailed discussions took place with the local developers of those sites to ensure other adequate infrastructure and resources were available. MPC developed presentation material to proactively market these sites for specific large load projects. Leads were generated along with marketing to site location consultants and data center companies. The successful location of Compass Data Centers resulted from this effort through lead generation and marketing to their company. Additionally, MPC has developed a process to facilitate the volume of requests. A large load intake form was created specifically for data center projects to have a better understanding of their needs and requirements. This intake form was a collaboration of the generation planning, power delivery, rates and finance teams. Nebraska Public Power District: To meet growing demand and ensure a fair, transparent process for projects seeking to be energized, we worked with a customer working group to design a New Load Process. The process requires projects to provide financial security in the form of a Generation Security Deposit, which is returned once all requirements are met. NPPD’s board of directors approved the Generation Security Deposit Policy in June 2024 to help not only provide clarity for developers but also protect existing ratepayers from undue financial risk for projects that end up not coming to fruition. PECO, an Exelon Company: As multiple large-load requests have continued to pour in, our team has remained focused on developing and delivering clear, actionable paths forward to support these customers. This includes early-stage engagement, high-level feasibility assessments and collaboration on the detailed design and infrastructure required to meet their specific needs. The primary challenge is the pace and scale of recent load growth. PECO is seeing an unprecedented surge in large, multi- megawatt requests ranging from 2 MW to 1,200 MW with compressed time-frame requests. These projects, primarily from data centers and other large industrial users, require complex engineering, coordination across multiple departments and careful alignment with regional transmission planning ... To meet this challenge and capture the opportunity, PECO developed and implemented a successful, structured process that provides a clear path forward for customers. Our Economic Development Team begins by conducting a high- level review of each request, then coordinates with Engineering, Transmission, and Substation teams to perform feasibility studies and develop detailed infrastructure plans. This integrated process allows us to evaluate multiple high-impact projects efficiently, aligned with PJM requirements and streamline internal workflows to accelerate delivery. PowerSouth: Surging demands have restricted the overall energy market, limiting capacity that PowerSouth could otherwise purchase to prevent shortfalls, support industry expansions and locations, and power organic growth. Under the direction of PowerSouth’s Board of Trustees and a cross-divisional Large Load Task Force, the cooperative in 2024 took steps to welcome positive growth while protecting its core value of providing reliable and affordable power. PowerSouth’s balanced, common-sense approach favors always-on capacity like nuclear and coal over the expansion of intermittent, supplemental renewables. The cooperative also emphasized the importance of accurate load forecasting to wisely plan for future generation assets. PowerSouth also worked closely with its distribution members to identify emerging economic development opportunities and developed a campaign, themed Staying Power, to help members communicate with their end-users on the impact of energy policies and the realities of providing uninterrupted power at the most affordable cost possible. SITE SELECTION SEPTEMBER 2025 133 UTILITY RESOURCE GUIDE RESOURCE GUIDE ALABAMA Alabama Power Co. 600 North 18th St. Birmingham, AL 35203 Blair King, Dir., Bus. Dev. 205-257-2138 https://www. amazingalabama.com PowerSouth - Corporate Offi ce 2027 E 3 Notch St. Andalusia, AL 36421 Scarlett Phaneuf Econ. Dev. Rep. 850-630-2652 https://www.powersouth. com Southeast Gas 445 Dexter Ave., 5th Flr. Montgomery, AL 36104 Vince Perez, Dir., Econ. Dev. 205-478-6502 https://southeastgas.com/ economic-development Tennessee Valley Authority 400 W. Summit Hill Dr. Knoxville, TN 37902 John Bradley Sr. V.P., Econ. Dev. Heidi Smith, Dir. Global Bus. 865-632-2101 https://tvasites.com ARIZONA Arizona Public Service Co. 400 N. 5th St. 6th Floor Phoenix, AZ 85004 Kelly Patton, Sr. Econ. Dev. Consultant 602-250-3613 https://www.aps.com SRP Electric-Salt River Project 1521 N. Project Drive Tempe, AZ 85281 Karla Moran, Mgr. 602-236-2396 https://www. powertogrowphx.com ARKANSAS Entergy Arkansas 425 W. Capitol Ave. 27th Flr Little Rock, AR 72201 Danny Games, Dir. of Bus. & Econ. Dev. 501-377-4434 https:// arkansassiteselection.com FLORIDA Duke Energy 452 E. Crown Point Rd. Mail Code WG-13 Winter Garden, FL 34787 Mark Hoenstine Managing Dir. Econ. Dev. 407-905-3443 https://www. locationdukeenergy.com Florida Power & Light Co. 700 Universe Blvd. C3B/JB Juno Beach, FL 33408 Cathy Chambers, Sr. Dir. Econ. Dev. 561-694-4000 https://www. poweringfl orida.com GEORGIA Georgia Power 75 Fith St., NW, Ste. 150 Atlanta, GA 30308 Charlie Moseley, Mgr. 404-506-3432 https://www.selectgeorgia. com Tennessee Valley Authority 400 W. Summit Hill Drive Knoxville, TN 37902 John Bradley, Sr.V.P., Econ. Dev. Heidi Smith, Dir. Global Bus. 865-632-2101 https://tvasites.com ILLINOIS Ameren Corporate-Illinois 10 Executive Drive Collinsville, IL 62234 Eric Whitfi eld, Dir. of Econ. Dev. 618-301-5322 https://www.ameren.com134 SEPTEMBER 2025 SITE SELECTION INDIANA Duke Energy Midwest 1000 E. Main St. Plainfi eld, IN 48168 Erin Schneider, Managing Dir., Econ. Dev. 317-838-1069 https://www. locationdukeenergy.com Hoosier Energy Rural Electric Cooperative 2501 South Cooperative Way Bloomington, IN 47402 Harold Gutzwiller, Mgr., Econ. Dev. 812-876-2021 https://www.hoosierenergy. com Northern Indiana Public Service Co. 801 East 86th Ave Merrillville, IN 46410 Cindy Admave, Econ. Dev. Mgr. 219-647-5134 https://www.nipsco.com IOWA Alliant Energy 200 1st St. S.E. Cedar Rapids, IA 52401 Dennis Jordan, Dir. of Customer, Community & Econ. Dev. 319-786-7288 https://www.alliantenergy. com KENTUCKY Duke Energy Midwest 1000 E. Main St. Plainfi eld, IN 48168 Erin Schneider, Managing Dir., Econ. Dev. 317-838-1069 https://www. locationdukeenergy.com Kentucky Touchstone Energy Cooperatives 4775 Lexington Road Winchester, KY 40391 Brad Thomas, Econ. Dev. Associate Mgr. 859-745-9628 https://www.ekpc.coop LG&E and KU Energy 220 W. Main St. Louisville, KY 40202 Roxann Fry, CEcD, Lead Mgr., Bus. & Econ. Dev. 270-792-1282 https://lge-ku.com Tennessee Valley Authority 400 W. Summit Hill Drive Knoxville, TN 37902 John Bradley, Sr. V.P., Econ. Dev. Heidi Smith, Dir. Global Bus. 865-632-2101 https://tvasites.com LOUISIANA Cleco Power, LLC P.O. Box 5000 Pineville, LA 71360 Richard Cornelison, Dir., Regional Growth & Econ. Dev. 318-484-4609 https://www.cleco.com Entergy Louisiana 446 North Boulevard Baton Rouge, LA 70802 Eduard Jimenez, Dir., Bus. & Econ. Dev. 800-368-3749 https://goentergy.com MICHIGAN Consumers Energy One Energy Plaza, EP8-434 Jackson, MI 49201 Valerie Christoff erson, Dir., Econ. Dev. 517-788-1239 https://www.cmsenergy. com/home/default.aspx MISSISSIPPI Entergy Mississippi 308 E. Pearl St. Jackson, MS 39215 Ed Gardner Dir. of Bus. & Econ. Dev. 601-969-2343 https://www. entergymississippi.com Mississippi Power 2992 West Beach Blvd. Gulfport, MS 39501 Brian Useforge, Dir., Econ. Dev. 800-528-5196 https://mississippipowered.com Tennessee Valley Authority 400 W. Summit Hill Dr. Knoxville, TN 37902 John Bradley, Sr. V.P., Econ. Dev. Heidi Smith, Dir. Global Bus. 865-632-2101 https://tvasites.com MISSOURI Ameren Missouri 1901 Chouteau Ave. Saint Louis, MO 63103 Rob Dixon, Sr. Dir., Econ., Community, and Bus. Dev. 314-554-2304 https://www.ameren.com NEBRASKA Nebraska Public Power District 1414 15th St. Columbus, NE 68602 Nicole Sedlacek, Econ. Dev. Mgr. 402-563-5534 https://sites.nppd.com SITE SELECTION SEPTEMBER 2025 135 Union Pacifi c Railroad 1400 Douglas St, St MS 1380 Omaha, NE 68179 Aaron Evans, Sr. Dir. Network Econ. & Ind. Dev. 402-544-4094 https://www.up.com/ connect NORTH CAROLINA Duke Energy 4720 Piedmont Row Dr. Charlotte, NC 28210 Stuart Heishman, V.P. Econ & Bus Dev/ Territorial Strategies 704-661-0466 https://www. locationdukeenergy.com Duke Energy 4720 Piedmont Row Dr. Charlotte, NC 28210 Andrew Tate, Dir. Econ. Dev. 704-661-0466 https://www. locationdukeenergy.com North Carolina’s Electric Cooperatives 3400 Sumner Blvd. Raleigh, NC 0 Ryan Nance, Dir. Econ. Dev. 919-875-3023 https://www.ncelectric cooperatives.com Tennessee Valley Authority 400 W. Summit Hill Dr. Knoxville, TN 37902 John Bradley, Sr. V.P., Econ. Dev. Heidi Smith, Dir. Global Bus. 865-632-2101 https://tvasites.com OHIO Duke Energy Midwest 1000 E. Main St. Plainfi eld, IN 48168 Erin Schneider, Managing Dir., Econ. Dev. 317-838-1069 https://www. locationdukeenergy.com PENNSYLVANIA PECO 2301 Market St. Philadelphia, PA 19103 Glen Murphy, Sr. Mgr. Econ. Dev. 215-841-5640 https://www.peco.com SOUTH CAROLINA Duke Energy 40 W. Broad St. Ste. 690 Greenville, SC 29601 Marty Baltzegar, Dir. Econ Dev. 803-960-1955 https://www. locationdukeenergy.com South Carolina Power Team 1201 Main St Suite 1710 Columbia, SC 29201 James Chavez, President/CEO 803-254-9211 https://www.scpowerteam. com TENNESSEE Tennessee Valley Authority 400 W. Summit Hill Drive Knoxville, TN 37902 John Bradley, Sr.V.P., Econ. Dev. Heidi Smith, Dir. Global Bus. 865-632-2101 https://tvasites.com TEXAS El Paso Electric Box 982 El Paso, TX 79960 Eric Montgomery, Dir. Econ. Dev. 575.523.3680 https://www.epelectric.com EntergyTexas 9425 Pinecroft The Woodlands, TX 77380 Earnest Peeples, Dir. of Bus. & Econ. Dev. 281-297-5512 https://goentergy.com VIRGINIA Dominion Energy 600 East Canal St. Richmond, VA 2321 Jen Kostyniuk Sr. Dir., Econ. Dev. 804-771-3406 https://www. dominionenergy.com Tennessee Valley Authority 400 W. Summit Hill Drive Knoxville, TN 37902 John Bradley, Sr. V.P., Econ. Dev. Heidi Smith, Dir. Global Bus. 865-632-2101 https://tvasites.com WISCONSIN Alliant Energy 4902 N. Biltmore Lane Madison, WI 53718 Coleman Peiff er, Sr. Mgr. Econ. & Cmty. Dev. 262-309-0010 https://www.alliantenergy.comNext >