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6d ago

Duke Energy’s Carolinas Plan Tilts to Gas and Nuclear, Extends Coal and Drops Wind

North Carolina regulators plan 2026 hearings with a final order due by the end of the year.

Duke Energy’s most recent gas-fired power plant built in the Palmetto State is the W.S. Lee Station in Anderson County, South Carolina, which began operating on April 5, 2018. The 750-MW combined-cycle natural gas plant powers up to 600,000 homes using high-efficiency technology that captures exhaust heat to generate additional electricity. The company’s newly proposed 1,400-MW hydrogen-capable combined-cycle plant—announced in June 2025 for a site in the same county—will mark Duke Energy’s first new generation project request in South Carolina in over a decade. Courtesy: Duke Energy
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Overview

  • Duke proposes five new combined-cycle gas plants and seven combustion turbines, paired with two- to four-year extensions at the Belews Creek, Cliffside and Marshall coal sites to manage rapid load growth.
  • The filing raises battery storage to 5,600 MW by 2034—about 2,900 MW above the prior plan—while holding a 4,000 MW solar target by 2034.
  • Wind is excluded through 2040 after Duke deemed it not economically viable for customers, with a reassessment slated for the next plan update.
  • Nuclear options expand to include small modular reactors and large light-water designs, with potential 2037 in-service at Belews Creek in North Carolina or the W.S. Lee site in South Carolina.
  • Average customer bills are projected to rise about 2.1% annually under the proposal, which Duke frames as necessary to ensure reliability under policy shifts and unprecedented demand growth.