Duke’s disproportionate rate hike

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Duke’s double whammy: North Carolina regulators are considering Duke Energy’s proposed rate hike that would see the average residential customer pay $10 more a month. But as consumer advocates point out, low-income residents would end up paying far more, as a $42-a-month bill credit is set to expire at the end of this year with no replacement on deck. (Canary Media)

Power procurement plans: In other Duke Energy news, the utility has filed its 2026 resource plan with South Carolina regulators. Duke proposes procuring 18.5 GW of solar, 14 GW of gas generation, 13 GW of energy storage, and 4.5 GW of nuclear over the next 15 years. (Utility Dive)

Transmission tug-of-war: In Texas, legislators, state officials, and residents have been calling on grid operator ERCOT to call off a planned transmission line buildout, largely over concerns about land use. But leaders from the oil and gas, manufacturing, and utility industries are pushing to keep the power lines coming, warning that delaying their construction could stymie industrial growth. (Texas Tribune)

Thinking twice about nuclear: Tennessee is one of five finalists to receive DOE funding that could reinvigorate the state’s nuclear power industry. But one Republican state lawmaker is raising concerns about becoming a ​“nuclear lifecycle innovation campus” over requirements that the state store nuclear waste. (Grist, Tennessee Lookout)

Data center defense: In Alabama, a new law requires regulators to consider whether a utility’s contract with a data center developer is in the public interest before approving it. But experts fear the law doesn’t go far enough to protect Alabamians from data center-induced power price hikes. (Inside Climate News)

Fighting for offshore wind: Mid-Atlantic and Northeast states are facing growing power demand that offshore wind farms could help meet, but Trump administration attacks have left the industry stalled. Labor union leaders are meanwhile pushing to get wind construction up and running again, noting that projects are a source of good-paying jobs. (Grist, The Guardian)

Solar grows in Georgia: Georgia is weighing the approval of three new solar projects: the 200-MW Amber Meadow array, the 261-MW Peach Wood project, and the 199-MW Project Lightyear installation. All three solar farms would be located in rural southwestern Georgia. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

Not-so-public comment: The Texas Railroad Commission, which regulates the state’s oil and gas industry, holds an open meeting each month where the public can weigh in on project permitting, pipeline violations, and other concerns. But under a new policy, the commission’s monthly meetings will no longer guarantee a public hearing session. (Inside Climate News)

Regulator steps out: Tricia Pridemore, a Republican on the Georgia Public Service Commission, will leave the agency just two months before voters head to the polls to choose her replacement. (Georgia Recorder)

Permanent power: SpaceXAI, Elon Musk’s AI company, has asked the Tennessee Valley Authority for more power to supply its Colossus II data center campus. The company has been using mobile diesel generators to run the project for months. (Daily Memphian)

Solar gets schooled: A new report finds nearly every rooftop of a public or charter school in North Carolina could support some solar panels, and that together they could produce as much as 900 MW of power. (WRAL)