Duke Energy is seeking approval from the North Carolina Utilities Commission to raise residential electricity rates by 18% over the next two years, citing substantial capital needs for grid upgrades, new power plants, and infrastructure improvements driven by population growth and data center demand. The utility's request covers its two North Carolina subsidiaries, Duke Energy Carolinas (serving over 2 million customers) and Duke Energy Progress (serving nearly 1.5 million), with proposed residential bills rising from approximately $145 to $169 per month for a 1,000 kWh usage tier under the Carolinas subsidiary, and from roughly $164 to $194 under Progress. The proposal has faced significant opposition from thousands of customers who testified at public hearings that they cannot afford higher bills, with concerns particularly acute among low-income households and seniors. Critics argue that residential customers are being forced to subsidize industrial projects, including data centers, which Duke Energy claims will pay their own way but currently represent less than 1% of peak demand. The company reported $4.9 billion in profit for 2025 and insists its infrastructure costs are driven by adding 150,000 new residential and commercial customers over the last two years rather than data centers alone. Legislative and regulatory scrutiny has intensified, with North Carolina lawmakers passing a bill to prevent residential ratepayers from subsidizing large data center contracts, though Democrats objected to provisions allowing older coal plants to remain online. The Public Staff for the commission criticized Duke Energy's proposals as favoring shareholders, highlighting excessive corporate jet travel expenses and requests to earn returns on unpaid customer bills totaling over $72 million. The commission must decide by August 2026, or the rate increase will automatically take effect if no decision is made within 10 months of the November 20, 2025 filing date.