Feb 12 (Reuters) - U.S. electric and gas utility company

NiSource ( NI ) on Wednesday raised its adjusted earnings

forecast for 2025 and beat fourth-quarter profit estimates,

benefiting from higher industrial electricity demand.

Power companies are set to benefit from rising electricity

usage - expected to reach record highs in 2025, according to the

U.S. Energy Information Administration - mainly from

energy-guzzling data centers needed to scale Big Tech's

artificial intelligence (AI) ambitions.

U.S. electric utilities have been pushing to hike customer

electricity bills, as the grid faces extreme weather as well as

the rising demand.

The Merrillville, Indiana-based NiSource ( NI ) raised its 2025

adjusted profit forecast to between $1.85 per share and $1.89

per share, from its prior expectation of $1.84 per share to

$1.88 per share.

On an adjusted basis, NiSource ( NI ) reported a quarterly profit

of 49 cents per share, just above analysts' average estimate of

48 cents per share, according to data compiled by LSEG.

For 2024, the company reported an adjusted profit per share

of $1.75, compared with estimates of $1.74 per share.

Across six states, the utility company serves natural gas

to around 3.3 million customers through its Columbia Gas unit

and electricity to 500,000 customers through its NIPSCO unit.

The company said its capital expenditure plan has increased

to $19.4 billion compared with $19.3 billion previously, which

is expected to result in 8% to 10% rate base growth for the 2025

to 2029 period.