title
Resolution Authorizing the Mayor to Sign the Public Comment Letter on Duke Energy's Biennial Carbon Plan and Integrated Resource Plan
body
Department:
Public Works
Meeting Date:
3/24/2026
Contact Name:
David Ingram
Public Hearing:
No
Contact Phone:
910-341-1602
Advertising Date/Advertised By:
N/A
Attachments:
Attachment #1: Resolution; Attachment #2: 2025-26 CPIRP Comment Letter; Attachment #3: CPIRP Presentation for Council; Attachment #4: 2009 Greenhouse Gas Resolution; Attachment #5: Resolution Establishing Clean Energy Goals
PURPOSE:
Attached for your consideration is a resolution authorizing the Mayor to sign a public comment letter, in collaboration with other North Carolina local governments, titled: "Statement of Position of North Carolina Local Governments on Duke Energy's Carbon Biennial Carbon Plan and Integrated Resource Plan (CPIRP)".
BACKGROUND:
Previously, the NC Utilities Commission ("NCUC") was directed by law (HB 951) to develop, in collaboration with electric public utilities and stakeholders, a carbon plan to achieve a 70% reduction in emissions by 2030 and carbon neutrality by 2050. While legislators passed Senate Bill 266 in 2025, which eliminated the interim 2030 target, utilities must still achieve carbon neutrality by 2050.
Duke Energy filed its proposed 2025-26 CPIRP to the NCUC on October 1, 2025, for review and approval. The CPIRP (https://www.duke-energy.com/our-company/about-us/irp-carolinas) recommends one pathway to meet the massive load growth projections for the next 20 years. The plan includes increasing natural gas generation, delaying the retirement of coal power plants, reducing solar buildout, increasing battery storage, and eliminating long-term planning for onshore or offshore wind or hydroelectric resources. While the 2030 interim carbon reduction target was repealed, Duke Energy's current CPIRP proposal would make it extremely difficult and costly to meet the 2050 statutory requirement for carbon...
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