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Duke Energy Rolls Out Customer Protection Plus as North Carolina Demands Binding Rate Guardrails

State leaders want the federal pledge turned into utility tariffs at the North Carolina Utilities Commission to give households legal protection from data-center costs.

Duke Energy Carolina has announced a 3.7% rate increase for customers over the next two years to fund infrastructure upgrades, particularly affecting areas in western North Carolina, including Guilford, Alamance, and Mecklenburg counties. Meanwhile, Duke Energy Progress's proposal could result in an 18% rate hike for its customers pending regulatory approval.
US President Donald Trump (C) speaks during an event about the Ratepayer Protection Pledge at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in Washington, DC, on July 23, 2026. The Ratepayer Protect Pledge aims to ensure that the large electricity demands of data centers are paid for by the companies rather than citizens. (Photo by SAUL LOEB / AFP via Getty Images)
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Overview

  • Duke Energy announced the Customer Protection Plus framework and joined the federal Ratepayer Protection Pledge on July 23, 2026, saying data center growth can yield billions in long-term customer savings.
  • North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein and Attorney General Jeff Jackson have urged Duke and state regulators to make the voluntary federal pledge legally enforceable through new large-load tariffs at the Utilities Commission.
  • The framework calls for long-term contracts and financial protections from large customers, including customer-funded connection costs, upfront security, termination charges, and temporary curtailment to shield existing customers.
  • A pair of active North Carolina rate cases and a contested settlement complicate the picture, with Duke describing an average 3.7% annual increase across classes and the Attorney General noting about a 9.5% rise for residential customers over two years.
  • If the Utilities Commission adopts enforceable tariffs, data centers would be required to pay or secure grid upgrades before connection and the new large-load rates could begin as early as Jan. 1, 2027, which would affect how costs are assigned and whether households face higher bills for unused investments.