NEW Sierra Club Report: Duke Energy Failing Clean Energy Transition

Raleigh, N.C. - An annual apples-to-apples comparison of utility energy plans once again earns Duke Energy the dubious distinction as one of the country's dirtiest utilities, and its plans to invest in renewable energy is substantially behind its peers throughout the country. The Dirty Truth About Utility Climate Pledgesis an annual report that grades 75 utilities across the country on their plans to retire coal plants by 2030, not build new gas plants through 2035, and transition to clean energy through 2035.

Duke Energy Carolinas & Duke Energy Progress earned 12% (F), while Duke Energy earned 11% (F) for its operations throughout the country, which include Indianaand Florida. The national average for utilities throughout the country was 15 out of 100 possible points.

The failing score for Duke Energy Carolinas & Progress is the result of the company's lackluster investment in renewable energy, like wind and solar, which provide affordable fixed-cost resources to the grid, unlike the volatility of gas prices. Free fuel from the wind and sun, and avoiding the volatile costs of gas, is what would have saved North Carolina utility customers up to $23 billion over 20 yearsunder the climate law that Duke successfully lobbied to weaken earlier this year. Additionally, the price of building new gas plantsis going up, on top of concerns about gas-price volatility. The increase in demand from new customers, like data centers, is a convenient scapegoat for Duke's failure to meaningfully invest in renewable energy.

Statement from Olive Burress, Sierra Club's Beyond Coal Campaign Organizer in North Carolina:

"It's wrong that monopoly utilities like Duke and multibillion-dollar tech companies are using their power to force North Carolina businesses and families to pay for power-hungry AI data centers. If more people join the growing number of individuals and organizations fighting back against this massive transfer of wealth from average people to the richest companies in the world, we can make them pay their fair share."

About the Sierra Club

The Sierra Club is America's largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with millions of members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit https://www.sierraclub.org.