Nov 7 (Reuters) - Utility Duke Energy beat Wall

Street estimates for third-quarter revenue and profit on Friday,

helped by higher electricity rates and strong power demand.

With data centers consuming more power amid a wave of

industrial electrification and manufacturing growth, electricity

costs are expected to climb.

A surge in AI and cryptocurrency data centers, combined with

the accelerating electrification of homes and businesses, is

expected to push U.S. power demand to record levels in 2025 and

2026, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

Duke is considering adding large nuclear reactors to its

fleet and extending the life of some coal plants as part of a

long-term energy plan aimed at meeting sharply rising

electricity demand in the Carolinas.

"As load growth materializes across our jurisdictions, we

are expecting our new five-year capital plan to be between $95

billion and $105 billion when we refresh the plan in February,"

CEO Harry Sideris said in a statement.

Duke serves 8.6 million electric customers across six U.S.

states and owns about 55,100 megawatts of energy capacity.

Adjusted earnings from its electric utilities segment for

the reported quarter was $1.69 billion, up from $1.46 billion in

the year-ago quarter.

The company narrowed its full-year adjusted profit forecast

to between $6.25 and $6.35 per share from its prior view of

$6.17 to $6.42 per share.

Quarterly revenue came in at $8.54 billion, ahead of

analysts' estimate of $8.50 billion, as per data compiled by

LSEG

The Charlotte, North Carolina-based company posted an

adjusted profit of $1.81 per share for the three months ended

September 30, compared with estimates of $1.75 per share.