ASHEVILLE, N.C. (828newsNOW) — North Carolina regulators have released a statewide schedule of public hearings as they review Duke Energy’s request to raise electricity rates for customers across the state beginning in 2027.

The proposal would increase average residential rates over two years, with Duke Energy Progress customers seeing an average increase of 18.5 percent and Duke Energy Carolinas customers facing an average hike of 15.8 percent. If approved, the increases would add roughly $20 to $30 a month to a typical household’s bill, depending on location.

Duke Energy says the proposed hikes would fund energy distribution and grid improvement projects, which account for more than one-third of the investments in the rate case, as well as boost the company’s return on capital projects such as new power plants.

The North Carolina Utilities Commission is hosting in-person and virtual public hearings across the state. Customers must determine whether they are served by Duke Energy Progress or Duke Energy Carolinas by checking their most recent bill, as hearing schedules differ by service territory.

Duke Energy Progress hearings

• March 30, 7 p.m.: Raleigh, N.C. Utilities Commission, 430 N. Salisbury St.
• March 31, 7 p.m.: Lumberton, Robeson County Courthouse
• April 6, 7 p.m.: Snow Hill, Greene County Courthouse
• April 13, 7 p.m.: Roxboro, Person County Courthouse
• April 14, 7 p.m.: Waynesville, Haywood County Courthouse
• April 1, 6:30 p.m.: Virtual hearing

Customers wishing to testify must register by 5 p.m. March 25, 2026, through the Utilities Commission’s website.

Duke Energy Carolinas hearings

• April 28, 7 p.m.: Morganton, Burke County Courthouse
• April 29, 7 p.m.: Charlotte, Mecklenburg County Courthouse
• May 6, 7 p.m.: Winston-Salem, Forsyth County Courthouse
• May 12, 7 p.m.: Durham, Durham County Courthouse
• April 7, 6:30 p.m.: Virtual hearing

Registration to testify is required by 5 p.m. March 31, 2026.

Customers may also submit written statements to the Utilities Commission. The docket number for Duke Energy Carolinas customers is E-7 SUB 1329. For Duke Energy Progress customers, it is E-2 SUB 1380.

If approved, the typical residential bill in the Duke Energy Carolinas region, which includes much of Western North Carolina. would jump from $144.98 to $162.20 in 2027 and to $168.54 in 2028, an increase of about 16.3 percent. In the Duke Energy Progress region, typical residential bills would rise from $163.84 to $193.54 by 2028, an increase of roughly 18.1 percent.

The proposal has drawn opposition from Gov. Josh Stein, who praised Attorney General Jeff Jackson for intervening in the case.

“Duke Energy’s proposed rate hike is simply too high,” Stein said in a statement. “At a time when families are struggling to make ends meet, we should be doing everything we can to make life more affordable, not less.”

Stein noted that the rate request comes after Senate Bill 266 became law, changing how utilities can recover costs for projects under construction amid rising energy demand, particularly from data centers. Stein vetoed the bill last year, citing research that projected it would increase costs to ratepayers by $23 billion, but the veto was overridden by lawmakers.

Attorney General Jackson said his office is intervening to closely examine whether the rate increases are justified.

“With costs rising everywhere, it’s important we take a close look at Duke Energy’s proposed rate increase to ensure it is necessary,” Jackson said.