Feb 12 (Reuters) - U.S. electric utility Entergy ( ETR )

on Thursday raised its long-term capital expenditure plan by $2

billion, as power producers rush to meet ​growing demand from

AI-driven data centers.

Shares of ‌the company were up 1.7% in afternoon trading.

U.S. utilities have been supported by ⁠steady electricity

demand from households and small-to-mid-sized businesses, though

elevated regulatory, financing ⁠and operating costs continue to

pressure the sector.

Power ‌consumption is also ‌rising as data centers

dedicated to artificial intelligence and cryptocurrency expand

and as customers electrify ​heating and transportation.

The company said ‌current data center contracts are

expected to provide about $5 billion in fixed-cost contributions

that will help offset residential rates ​over the life of ​the

agreements.

In December, ‌the company's unit, Entergy Louisiana,

filed a request to acquire the natural gas-fired power plant

Cottonwood Generating Station for $1.5 billion.

The New ⁠Orleans-based utility now forecasts $43 billion

in capital spending for 2026 ⁠to 2029, including $11.6 billion

marked for this year.

Entergy's ( ETR ) total retail sales were at 30,017 gigawatt hours

(GWh) in 2025, compared to 29,497 GWh last year.

The company's results were, however, pressured by ⁠higher

debt ‌levels, which rose nearly 7% to $31 million in ‌2025 on a

year-on-year basis.

Entergy's ( ETR ) operating and maintenance expenses rose 8.6%

year-on-year ⁠in the fourth quarter to $26.67 per megawatt hour

(MWh), while full-year O&M and nuclear refueling outage expenses

increased 1.2% to $22.02 per MWh.

The utility now expects its full-year adjusted profit to be

in the range of $4.25 to $4.45 per share, the midpoint of which

is below analysts' average estimate of $4.41 ​per share,

according to data compiled by LSEG.

For the quarter ended December 31, Entergy ( ETR ) posted an

adjusted profit of 51 cents per ​share, which missed analysts'

average ‌estimate of 52 cents.