FirstEnergy's data center demand nearly doubles in less than year
The amount of energy that Akron-based FirstEnergy has contracted to provide to data centers increased by nearly a quarter over the company's third financial quarter of 2026. Contracted data center demand across FirstEnergy's coverage territory, by gigawatts, has nearly doubled since the end of 2025, the company shared in an Oct. 27 investor presentation. The electric utility operates in Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Maryland, New Jersey and New York. A more than 23% jump is reflected over just three months – a change from 6.4 gigawatts at the end of Q2 2026 outlined in contracts with data centers to 7.9 gigawatts of such contracted demand by the end of Q3. "We are in active negotiations with approximately 4 gigawatts of additional load," Brian Tierney, FirstEnergy's chairman, president and CEO, said on an Oct. 28 Q3 earnings call. Also reflected in FirstEnergy's Oct. 27 presentation is an uptick to 27 gigawatts of total data center demand by the end of Q3 2026, following total demand of 24.8 gigawatts when the company's second quarter wrapped. Total demand includes both contracted and pipeline demand, with the pipeline demand referencing demand that is not under contract (such as the 4 gigawatts that Tierney said