CHARLOTTE, N.C., April 12, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Duke Energy today
announced Power/Forward Carolinas -- a $13
billion, 10-year project to modernize the state's electric
system.
These upgrades will harden the system against storms and
outages; make it safer and more resilient against cyber-attacks and
physical threats; help expand renewable energy; generate jobs and
stimulate economic growth.
It will also give 7 million people in North Carolina more information to manage
their energy use.
"Safely powering the lives of hard-working families and
maintaining the vitality of our communities are our most important
responsibilities," said David
Fountain, Duke Energy's North
Carolina president. "When we improve our energy
infrastructure, we not only improve power quality and reliability
for everyone, but we help grow our economy and create jobs while
keeping energy at a reasonable price."
Duke Energy's 10-year modernization plan for NC will result
in:
- Additional bill-lowering tools designed to help customers
reduce their energy costs
- An average of 13,900 jobs each year
- $10.4 billion in salaries and
wages
- Almost $800 million in state
taxes and $550 million in local
taxes
- A total economic output of $21.5
billion over the 10 years
Modernizing the electric system
Meeting the demands of
today's technological and customer-driven changes to North Carolina's grid — the sixth-largest in
the nation — is becoming more challenging. Duke Energy's
Power/Forward Carolinas initiative will help the company better
serve its customers with focused investments that:
- Move targeted power lines underground to help reduce
outages;
- enhance grid technologies to self-identify problems and reroute
power, decreasing outage numbers and duration;
- advance smart metering infrastructure to enable more
bill-lowering tools;
- protect against physical and cyber-security threats and keep
the grid safe; and
- support the sustainable growth of renewable energy and emerging
technologies.
"We must embrace a forward-thinking approach to building a
smarter energy future for North
Carolina," Fountain said. "We have been working hard to
generate cleaner, smarter electricity, and now we must invest to
make the system that delivers that energy even smarter."
For more information on Duke Energy's Power/Forward Carolinas
plan to build a smarter energy future, visit
www.duke-energy.com/our-company/future.
About Duke Energy
Headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., Duke Energy is one of the
largest energy holding companies in the
United States. Its Electric Utilities and Infrastructure
business unit serves approximately 7.5 million customers located in
six states in the Southeast and Midwest. The company's Gas
Utilities and Infrastructure business unit distributes natural gas
to approximately 1.6 million customers in the Carolinas,
Ohio, Kentucky and Tennessee. Its Commercial Renewables business
unit operates a growing renewable energy portfolio across
the United States.
Duke Energy is a Fortune 125 company traded on the New York
Stock Exchange under the symbol DUK. More information about the
company is available at duke-energy.com.
The Duke Energy News Center serves as a multimedia resource for
journalists and features news releases, helpful links, photos and
videos. Hosted by Duke Energy, illumination is an online
destination for stories about people, innovations, and community
and environmental topics. It also offers glimpses into the past and
insights into the future of energy.
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Facebook.
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SOURCE Duke Energy