Duke Energy announces 10-year modernization initiative for North Carolina energy grid
Duke Energy recently announced Power/Forward Carolinas, a $13 billion, 10-year initiative aimed at modernizing North Carolina’s electric system.
The plan includes upgrades to make the system more resistant to storms and outages, help defend it against cyber attacks, expand renewable energy, make it easier for customers to manage their energy use, as well as generate jobs and stimulate economic growth.
“Safely powering the lives of hard-working families and maintaining the vitality of our communities are our most important responsibilities,” David Fountain, Duke Energy’s North Carolina president, said. “When we improve our energy infrastructure, we not only improve power quality and reliability for everyone, but we help grow our economy and create jobs while keeping energy at a reasonable price.”
Specifically, Duke Energy plans to move certain power lines underground to help prevent outages and utilize advanced technologies to self-identity problems and reroute power in the case of situations that may cause outages. The company also plans to advance smart metering infrastructure.
“We must embrace a forward-thinking approach to building a smarter energy future for North Carolina,” Fountain said. “We have been working hard to generate cleaner, smarter electricity, and now we must invest to make the system that delivers that energy even smarter.”
