Duke Energy Carolinas hits summer peak usage record during heat wave

Due to this week’s heat wave, Duke Energy Carolinas customers in North Carolina and South Carolina set a summertime record for electricity usage.

Customers hit 21,086 megawatt-hours of electricity for the hour ending at 6 p.m. on June 13, exceeding the previous summertime record of 20,671 megawatt-hours, set on July 27, 2016. It almost hit the all-time record for the company of 21,620 megawatt-hours set on Jan. 5, 2018.

Duke Energy Carolinas serves customers in central and western North Carolina and Upstate South Carolina, while Duke Energy Progress serves the Asheville area, Raleigh, and large portions of eastern North Carolina and South Carolina.

While Duke Energy Progress did not set a peak usage record this week, the two utilities achieved a new combined summer peak usage record of 34,079 megawatt-hours of electricity consumption for the hour ending at 6 p.m. on June 13. The previous record for the two combined was 33,631 megawatt-hours set on July 20, 2020.

“We have a detailed plan in place to manage the power grid in extreme temperatures – whether it’s the heat of summer or the cold of winter,” Sam Holeman, Duke Energy vice president of system planning and operations, said. “Our technicians work around the clock at our power plants and along our power lines to help ensure we have sufficient resources to meet our customers’ needs.”

When temperatures are extreme, the company relies on a diverse energy mix that includes nuclear power, hydro, natural gas, oil, coal, and nearly 4,500 megawatts of solar generation. Further, Duke Energy is interconnected to utilities in other states, providing options to purchase power from other sources, especially when customer demand for energy is highest. In addition, the company is strengthening the grid to make it more resistant to outages from severe weather and cyber threats.

“In my 37-year career, we have been able to reliably meet customer demand for electricity, even in extreme temperatures, and it’s Duke Energy’s goal to continue that track record,” Holeman said. “We plan for a variety of extreme weather conditions and test and improve our system so that it performs at a high level when our customers need it the most. Along with improved resiliency, we are working to transition to cleaner energy resources to serve our customers today and in the decades to come.”

Duke Energy Carolinas and Duke Energy Progress are subsidiaries of Duke Energy.