Ranking

Which utilities lock a data center in the longest?

A long contract with a small minimum bill is not the same as a short contract with a big one. Lock-in years puts both on one scale: the number of years of full-capacity payments the stated term commits you to, whether or not you use the power.

How it is calculated. For each year of the contract term, add that year's minimum bill as a fraction of contract capacity. Twelve years at an 85% minimum bill is 12 × 0.85 = 10.2 lock-in years. A stated step-down is honored. Ramp-up periods, collateral and exit fees are not in the score; they are shown beside it. Only tariffs whose filings or orders state both a term and a minimum bill in numbers are ranked, and nothing is estimated. Pending tariffs are proposals.

#	Utility	Lock-in years	Term	Minimum bill	Collateral	Exit
1	Kentucky Power Company, Tariff I.G.S. large load provisions KY	18	20 yr	90%	24 months of minimum bills	5 year(s) of minimum bills
2	Duke Energy Florida, proposed Large Load Customer Policy (Florida PSC)pending FL	16	20 yr	80%	Not stated	3 year(s) of minimum bills
3	El Paso Electric (New Mexico), proposed Rate 50 High Load Factor Power Service and Rate 51 Large Load Power Servicepending NM	16	20 yr	80%	Not stated	Not stated
4	Florida Power & Light (LLCS-1 Large-Load Contract Service) FL	14	20 yr	70%	Not stated	Not stated
5	Consumers Energy (Rate GPD large-load / data center provision) MI	12	15 yr	80%	Not stated	Remaining minimum bills
6	Kentucky Utilities (Rate EHLF, Extremely High Load Factor Service) KY	12	15 yr	80%	24 months of minimum bills	Remaining minimum bills
7	Louisville Gas & Electric (Kentucky), Rate EHLF Extremely High Load Factor Service KY	12	15 yr	80%	24 months of minimum bills	Remaining minimum bills
8	Virginia Electric and Power Co. (Dominion Energy Virginia), GS-5 rate class VA	11.9	14 yr	85%	Not stated	Not stated
9	Appalachian Power Company (Virginia), Schedule L.P.S. large load terms VA	11.2	14 yr	80%	Not stated	Not stated
10	Colorado Springs Utilities (Colorado), Schedule ELL Industrial Service - Large Load CO	10	10 yr	100%	36 months of minimum bills	Remaining minimum bills
11	Appalachian Power and Wheeling Power (West Virginia), Schedules LCP and IP large load terms WV	9.6	12 yr	80%	Not stated	Not stated
12	Evergy Kansas Central / Evergy Kansas South (Schedule LLPS) KS	9.6	12 yr	80%	Not stated	Not stated
13	Evergy Metro / Evergy Missouri West (Large Load Power Service, LLPS) MO	9.6	12 yr	80%	24 months of minimum bills	Not stated
14	Indiana Michigan Power (AEP) IN	9.6	12 yr	80%	Not stated	Not stated
15	Union Electric Company d/b/a Ameren Missouri (Large Load Rate Plan) MO	9.6	12 yr	80%	24 months of minimum bills	Not stated
16	Duke Energy Carolinas and Duke Energy Progress (North Carolina), proposed Large Load Tariff settlementpending NC	7.5	10 yrlonger from 100 MW	75%	Not stated	Not stated
17	AEP Ohio OH	6.8	8 yr	85%	Not stated	3 year(s) of minimum bills
18	PPL Electric Utilities (Pennsylvania), Rate Schedule LP-6 large load / data center PA	6.5	10 yr	80% 50% after year 5	Not stated	Remaining minimum bills

Screening information from public filings, not legal or investment advice. A higher number is a bigger commitment, not a worse deal; it can come with faster power or a lower rate. The signed agreement controls. Next: is an offer typical?, estimate the dollars or the glossary.