Data Centers Site Selection

When a company buys land, it is important to consider the property’s suitability to house a server environment. The most desirable location is one that supports the data center site selection objectives to safeguard data server equipment and accommodate growth and change of the data center.

Duke Energy Can Help You Choose an Optimal Location for Your Data Center.

  • To support your data center site selection activities, our powerful Geographic Information System will identify available properties throughout the Carolinas, Greater Cincinnati and Indiana.
  • Our data center site selection databases contain available buildings or land that are near reliable energy sources and away from disturbances that can interrupt your data center operations, such as airports, railroads, hurricane paths, tornado activity and other areas susceptible to natural disasters.

Carolinas - Data Center Prime Sites

Midwest - Data Center Prime Sites

Duke Energy’s service territory is already home to many data centers.

For companies involved in data center site selection projects, the following companies have already made the Duke Energy service territory their home:

  • Credit Suisse First Boston LLC
  • TIAA CREF
  • Companion Technologies Corporation
  • E-Commerce Support Centers Inc
  • Strategic Technologies Inc
  • Financial Service Solutions LLC
  • First Bancorp
  • Smith, J M Corporation
  • Triad Group Inc
  • VF Services Inc.
  • Fidelity Investments
  • State of North Carolina Office of ITS
  • Wachovia
  • Bank of America
  • Hartford Insurance 

Our service territory has multiple network providers with SONET (synchronous optical network) technology, DukeNet, AT&T, BellSouth, Global Crossing, MCI and Progress Telecom.

For data center site selection projects concerned about electric costs and reliability of power supplies, the cost of operating, Duke Energy’s average commercial rate as of Winter 2006 is $0.0618 in North Carolina and $0.0616 in South Carolina. Duke Energy’s total system capability is 28,000 megawatts which is in the top quartile for system reliability.

  • Duke Energy’s average industrial rate is below the regional average of $0.042 and significantly lower than the national average industrial rate of $0.0506.
  • Duke Energy’s System Average Interruption Frequency Index (SAIFI) is 99.97%.
  • Duke Energy provides free reliability risk management consulting, including forecasting.
  • Reliability and recommended options, such as safeguards and backups.
  • Total system capability of approximately 28,000 megawatts, including: 3 nuclear stations, 14 coal-fired stations, 32 hydroelectric generating stations, 8 combusion turbine stations (natural gas or fuel oil) and several individual combustion turbine units in 11 location.
  • Duke Energy’s fuel mix for generation is 47% coal, 25% gas, 20% nuclear and 8% hydro & other.
  • Duke Energy operates more than 13,000 miles of transmission lines and more than 92,000 miles of distribution -Duke Energy’s system interconnects with eight other electric utilities allowing plenty of system redundancy.

Duke Energy plans to increase its system capacity to meet the growth in customer demand.

  • Upon successful regulatory approvals, plans are underway to build and operate a new state-of-the-art 1600 MW baseload coal plant by June 2011 (800 MW) and June 2012 (800MW).
  • Duke Energy is proceeding with plans to apply for a combined Construction and Operating License to build a new 2,234 MW nuclear facility to meet future customer load demand. The new facility is scheduled to be online in June 2016 (1,117MW) and January 2017 (1,117MW).

Our regions have attractive incentives and tax advantages.

The North Carolina General Assembly has made significant enhancements to its existing data center site selection incentive tools:

  • Jobs Development Investment Grant, a key incentive tool, was expanded to 25 grants per year, cap raised from $10 to $15 million, extended to 2006.
  • $20 million secured for One North Carolina Fund (cash incentives).
  • Wage test eliminated for Industrial Revenue Bonds. The Indiana General Assembly has made a business friendly environment with several key tax incentives.
  • Hoosier Business Incentive Tax Credit (HBITC), this program provides a credit against a company’s Indiana tax liability to encourage capital investment.
  • Industrial Development Grant Fund (IDGF), this grant fund provides financial support for infrastructure improvements in conjunction with projects creating jobs and generating capital investment in Indiana.
  • One of Duke Energy’s Site Selection Consultants can assist you with your data center site selection project, identifying the best sources for reducing your cost of doing business in any of the states served by Duke Energy.

Our regions have available, affordable, skilled labor.

  • Approximately, 31,000 Carolinians and 85,000 Hoosiers are employed in computer-related data processing.
  • Average database administrator earnings/hour of $30.41 and Computer and Information Systems Managers earnings/hour of $45.40 place the Carolinas among 15 U.S. states with the most competitive computer support wages.
  • Average database administrator earnings/hour of $24.96 and Computer and Information Systems Managers earnings/hour of $36.20 place Indiana among the 15 U.S. states with the most competitive support wages.