Duke Energy Faces Showdown With Regulators in Coal Plant Fight
The clash between the utility and state regulators exposes the political challenges in transiting global energy systems to clean power.
Duke Energy wants to retire Marshall Steam Station in North Carolina in 2028, but regulators ordered it stay open until 2035.
Photographer: Rolf Schulten/ullstein bild/Getty ImagesDuke Energy Corp. is set for a showdown with regulators on Tuesday on its case for accelerating closures of its last six coal-fired power plants in the Carolinas—a plan already rejected by South Carolina’s utilities regulator.
The regulator’s May 31 meeting will also weigh appeals from a coalition of environmental groups that urge the Public Service Commission of South Carolina to reconsider its December decision ordering Duke Energy to keep the coal plants open until 2039—almost a decade longer than a preferred plan pitched by the utility.