Every two years Duke Energy Progress and Duke Energy Carolinas are required to develop an Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) that lines out its planned mix of energy sources and facilities for the next 15 years and beyond. The 2020 IRP has been submitted to the North Carolina Utility Commission for review, including a public hearing. At this time a single hearing is planned for March 16. Notably, in 2019 Duke formally committed to becoming carbon neutral by 2050. The 2020 Clean Energy Plan of the NC Dept. of Environmental Quality (DEQ) acknowledged that goal in calling for the electric power sector to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 70% below 2005 levels by 2030 and to attain carbon neutrality by 2050.

The Sierra Club is a  lead organization in DukesEnergyPlan.org, an extensive coalition of public interest groups that have reviewed the 2020 IRP and found it severely inadequate. The plan projects that coal will continue to be used through 2049 and that up to 16 new gas-fired generation plants, with a typical lifespan of 40 years, will be built during the plan's 15-year horizon. This comes despite Duke's pledge to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050, just 30 years out. What Duke did not do is to commit to fully utilizing cost-effective energy from solar and wind development.

In addition, Duke's own figures show that their plans will significantly increase the cost burden of ratepayers throughout the plan period.

It is critically important for the public to speak up  for more investment in energy conservation and renewables, immediately.  Here are some talking points from DukesEnergyPlan.org. More can be found at the group's website.
 

• Duke must maximize all energy efficiency options prior to building new generation to keep costs low for ratepayers and avoid unnecessary investments in higher-cost fossil-fuel technologies.
• Duke's IRP should accelerate retirement of all coal plants, close half of its coal fleet by 2025, achieve coal-free energy by 2030 and include support transitions plans for coal plant communities.
• Duke’s reliance on gas combustion entails direct release of carbon dioxide and releases super-potent methane during fracking, which will prevent Duke and North Carolina from meeting their stated climate goals.
• Solar is not only the cleanest but also the most cost-effective energy supply choice. A recent study showed that North Carolina could boost renewable energy to 66% by 2035 while decreasing costs to ratepayers.