Design and Construction Report staff writer
The North Carolina General Assembly has enacted the Power Bill Reduction Act, overriding Gov. Josh Stein’s veto and eliminating a 2030 target for cutting carbon dioxide emissions from the state’s electric utilities.
The measure, signed into law July 29, removes a statutory requirement that the North Carolina Utilities Commission and public utilities plan to reduce carbon emissions 70 percent from 2005 levels by the end of the decade. The long-term goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2050 remains.
Republican legislative leaders said the changes give utilities more flexibility to ensure reliable power while keeping costs in check. Supporters also pointed to new provisions allowing utilities to recover financing costs for construction work-in-progress on baseload power plants, and to changes in how fuel and purchased power expenses are billed to customers.
Under the law, Duke Energy is scheduled to file its next carbon plan and integrated resource plan Oct. 1, 2025, with a Utilities Commission decision required by Dec. 31, 2026.
Opponents, including Stein, warned that dropping the 2030 target could slow the state’s transition to clean energy and weaken climate goals.
The legislation also revises rules for cost recovery of fuel charges, expands reporting requirements for utilities operating under multi-year rate plans, and sets a 2033 sunset for certain natural gas plant construction cost recovery.
