Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC
Request to Raise Electric Rates
(Docket No. E-7 Sub 1214)
On September 30, 2019, Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC (DEC) filed an application with the Commission requesting authority to increase its rates for electric service in order to produce an additional $445.3 million in retail base revenues. For a residential electric customer using 1,000 kilowatt-hours per month, the current monthly bill of $102.71 would increase to $108.43 under DEC’s proposal.
In its application, DEC stated that its request is driven by investments it has made since its 2017 rate case in Docket No. E-7 Sub 1146, including: a) retiring, replacing and upgrading generation plants; b) investments to modernize and maintain the Company’s transmission and distribution systems; c) costs incurred to restore service to customers after Hurricanes Florence and Michael and Winter Storm Diego; d) the deployment of Advanced Metering Infrastructure, which includes smart meters; e) investments needed to comply with environmental regulations related to coal combustion residuals, including ash basin closure activities to satisfy regulatory requirements; f) depreciation rate changes, including efforts to reduce the Company’s reliance on coal by accelerating the remaining lives of some of the Company’s coal-fired generation facilities, and g) other costs incurred by DEC to provide power.
The Commission conducted four hearings to receive testimony from DEC’s customers, and had scheduled an expert witness hearing that was to begin March 23, 2020, for testimony and cross-examination of expert witnesses. Due to the COVID-19 Emergency, however, the Commission initially postponed that hearing and has now re-scheduled it to be held remotely, via WebEx, beginning Monday, August 24, 2020, at 2 p.m. Members of the public who wish to observe this hearing may do so via a link that will be available on the homepage of this website each day of the remote hearing.
| Date | Time | Location | Docket | Description of Proceeding |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Public Witness Hearings: | ||||
| 1/15/2020 | 7:00pm | Macon County Courthouse, 5 West Main Street, Franklin | E-7 Sub 1214 | Duke Energy Carolinas Application to Raise Electric Rates |
| 1/16/2020 | 7:00pm | Burke County Courthouse 201 South Green Street Morganton | E-7 Sub 1214 | Duke Energy Carolinas Application to Raise Electric Rates |
| 1/29/2020 | 7:00pm | Alamance County Historic Courthouse 1 SE Court Square Graham | E-7 Sub 1214 | Duke Energy Carolinas Application to Raise Electric Rates |
| 1/30/2020 | 7:00pm | Mecklenburg County Courthouse 832 East 4th Street Courtroom 5350 Charlotte | E-7 Sub 1214 | Duke Energy Carolinas Application to Raise Electric Rates |
| Expert Witness Hearing | ||||
| 3/23/2020 2:00pm Postponed | Hearing Room 2115, Dobbs Building, 430 N Salisbury Street, Raleigh | E-7 Sub 1214 | Duke Energy Carolinas Application to Raise Electric Rates | |
| 8/24/2020 | 2:00pm | Remote Via WebEx | E-7 Sub 1214 | Duke Energy Carolinas Application to Raise Electric Rates |
Customers can also submit a written statement to the Commission via email. Be sure to include the docket number in the subject line. Another option is to mail a statement to the Commission at the address below. In either case, after two or three business days, statements are made part of the official record for the proceeding, and can be viewed on this website via Docket Number E-7 Sub 1214CS.
The Public Staff – North Carolina Utilities Commission is a separate, independent agency that represents the using and consuming public in matters before the Commission, including rate increase requests like this one. You can send the Public Staff a statement, or ask them a question, via email.