In Duke Energy’s 15 year plan to provide power to North Carolina…
- Duke Energy exaggerates growth of electricity demand, and uses it as an excuse for planning to build new expensive power plants that aren’t actually needed and repeatedly raising rates.
- There is already a glut of excess power plant capacity in the southeast region. But instead of connecting and sharing power with neighboring utilities to meet its needs, Duke Energy continues the wasteful practice of building new, redundant plants to increase its profits.
- Duke Energy’s wants to build risky nuclear plants that cost over $24 billion to build and charge captive customers in advance for the costs. Nuclear construction projects underway in other states are suffering delays and cost overruns and may never be completed.
- The utility plan also relies on expensive new fracking gas plants and continued use of dirty coal plants – increasing Duke’s huge contribution to the climate crisis.
- Duke Energy’s long-term plan only calls for a pathetic 4% renewable energy and 5% energy efficiency in 2029.
- Duke completely ignores the external costs of its plan – like damage done to people, the environment, and our communities.
- The only reason that Duke is able to continue their ‘build plants, raise rates’ business model is because they have monopoly control over North Carolina.
NC WARN proposes a Responsible Energy Future…
- The Responsible Energy Future calls for a greater, but achievable, commitment to reach 24% energy efficiency and 7% renewable energy by 2029.
- It would allow North Carolina to close all coal-fired power plants and would eliminate the need for any new large power plants. As a result, rates and pollution could be significantly reduced.
- We propose increased competition in the electricity market that will lead to cleaner, cheaper energy – including no money down rooftop solar.
- With the cost of solar declining and new clean energy and storage innovations surfacing, the clean energy revolution is already underway. North Carolina needs to take advantage of this opportunity and do our part to help avert the climate crisis.
The people of North Carolina should be able to choose our path forward.
View a pdf version here
