Duke Energy Files 2026 Carolinas' Resource Plan

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Written by Danny Levin, Deputy Editor for IIR News Intelligence (Sugar Land, Texas)

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Summary

Duke Energy's updated integrated resource plan for its North and South Carolina service areas encompasses a variety of energy sources, including natural gas, nuclear power, solar and storage. Industrial Info Resources is tracking 83 active and planned capital-spending projects from Duke Energy in the Carolinas, worth $33 billion.

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Duke's 2026 Carolinas Resource Plan

Duke Energy Corporation filed a 2026 integrated resource plan for its North and South Carolina service areas, which includes an all-of-the-above approach featuring natural gas, battery storage, solar and nuclear power, in order to meet load and population growth. Although the plan was filed with the Public Service Commission of South Carolina (PSCSC), it is a dual-state plan that would serve customers in both states.

Industrial Info Resources data show 83 active and planned capital-spending projects from Duke Energy in the Carolinas, although nearly all of the investment is in pre-construction stages. Readers can view full lists of related project reports and plant profiles.

This accounts for most of Duke's $39.3 billion worth of capital investment.

In the plan's executive summary, Duke said North and South Carolina "continue to rank among the fastest-growing states in the nation."

"Strategic investments in existing resources--including generation uprates, modernization projects, fuel infrastructure enhancements, and subsequent license renewals for the nuclear fleet" allow the company to increase system capability, improve reliability, and extend the useful life of critical assets.

Duke has filed plans with regulators to combine its electric utilities that serve the respective states--Duke Energy Carolinas (DEC) and Duke Energy Progress (DCP). Those applications are under review, while federal regulators (including the U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission) have approved the plan.

The 2026 plan builds on the dual-state 2025 resource plan filed with North Carolina state regulators last year, with an order expected by year-end. In May of this year, the PSCSC accepted Duke's 2025 integrated resource plan update.

Meanwhile, Duke expects the South Carolina regulators will hold a hearing on the 2026 plan in April 2027 and issue an order by June 2027.

In terms of generation capacity, by 2041, the 2026 plan targets:

• 8.2 gigawatts (GW) of new combined-cycle (CC) generation
• 5.8 GW of combustion-turbine (CT) generation
• Roughly 13 GW of storage
• 18.5 GW of solar
• 4.5 GW of nuclear
• 300 MW of onshore wind

Natural Gas

Duke is advancing multiple CC and CT projects, including securing state regulatory approval for a new 1,400-megawatt (MW) combined cycle plant in Anderson County, South Carolina. Also approved are the Marshall CT and Person County CC plants, both in North Carolina.

Nuclear

Duke is both maximizing existing nuclear assets through license renewals, uprates and "fuel-cycle work," and evaluating new nuclear options, according to the plan's executive summary. This includes considering sites in Cherokee County, South Carolina, and Stokes County, North Carolina. IIR is tracking a potential 1,200-MW nuclear plant planned for the former and a 300-MW small modular reactor unit for the latter.

In the company's second-quarter earnings call on August 4, Harry Sideris, president of Duke Energy, said the Carolinas Resource Plan "underscores the role nuclear will play in our all-of-the-above strategy."

He added that newly signed electric service agreements (ESAs) "further confirms our view that all near-term resources in the Carolinas are needed." Also on the August 4 call, Brian Savoy, senior vice president of Duke, said the ESAs "signed to date in the Carolinas have increased the load forecast to the high load case."

The company also is preparing to file a subsequent license renewal (SLR) application with the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission for the two reactors at its Brunswick Nuclear Power Station in North Carolina, which would give the reactors another 20 years to operate past their current expiration dates in the mid-2030s.

Solar and Storage

As part of the 2026 resource plan, solar procurement and construction remain active, including completed facilities, projects under construction, and requests for proposals for solar and solar paired with storage. The plan also includes scaling battery storage execution, with projects in service, equipment secured, and interconnection activity underway.

Although solar accounts for the largest proposed capacity additions by 2041, Industrial Info Resources is tracking sparce project activity from Duke for both solar and storage in North and South Carolina. However, our researchers will continue to update the GMI database with additional project information as it becomes available.

Duke's Capex Plan

Duke is in the middle of a five-year (2026-2030) regulated capital investment plan amounting to $103 billion; in the recent earnings call, Savoy said the company is deploying more than $1 billion per month, and as additional contracts are signed, there is "$5 billion to $10 billion of upside" to the plan to support additional generation and transmission, particularly in Indiana and Florida.

Industrial Info Resources is tracking $3.2 billion worth of active and planned capital projects from Duke in Indiana and $2.6 billion worth in Florida, which rounds out nearly all of the company's total investment.

Key Takeaways

• $33 billion: value of capital active and planned projects from Duke Energy in the Carolinas. Most of the activity is in pre-construction stages.
• The 2026 IRP has an all-encompassing approach, looking to add nuclear, natural gas, solar and storage generation.

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About Industrial Info Resources
Industrial Info Resources (IIR) is the leading provider of industrial market intelligence. Since 1983, IIR has provided comprehensive research, news and analysis on the industrial process, manufacturing and energy related industries. IIR's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) helps companies identify and pursue trends across multiple markets with access to real, qualified and validated plant and project opportunities. Across the world, Industrial Info Resources is tracking over 250,000 current and future projects worth $30.2 trillion (USD).