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By Arianna Skibell | 04/24/2026 01:21 PM EDT
Environmental advocates say the delay could drive up costs for ratepayers at a time when households are squeezed by high prices.
Rows of solar panels cover a field in Lancaster, Kentucky. Joshua A. Bickel/AP
North Carolina utility regulators have directed Duke Energy, the state’s biggest utility, to pause procurement of solar power generation and battery storage.
The Thursday night filing stops Duke Energy from soliciting and contracting for new solar projects until the utility and commission agree on an updated, long-range vision for how much competitively procured solar power the state needs. That vision, called an integrated resource plan, is expected by the end of this year.
Pausing procurement of new solar projects in the interim is the best move for both “the public interest and judicial economy,” according to the filing from the North Carolina Utilities Commission.
A spokesperson for the commission said members are unable to comment upon pending legal proceedings. Duke Energy did not respond immediately to a request for comment.
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