In North Carolina, tech giants and other large corporations that want their own 24/7 carbon-free electricity have a problem. Across most of the state, only Duke Energy, the state’s vertically integrated utility, can sell them power, and the company’s grid isn’t required to be 100% clean until mid-century.
For the better part of this decade, Google and other companies have been pushing for a “clean transition tariff” as a solution. The scheme would allow the large customers to pay a premium for new, zero-carbon energy, using Duke as a go-between.
The idea has virtually no opponents, yet Duke has done little to make it a reality. Now, the company says, that’s about to change.
In a statement to Canary Media, Duke said it would start negotiations on a clean transition tariff early next year. The company said the tariff should build on an existing suite of Duke programs called Green Source Advantage that lets large energy users chip in for already-underway renewable energy projects.
“We continue to be open to a clean transition tariff, over and above our current Green Source Advantage offerings,” Duke spokesperson Bill Norton said. “We will seek to engage stakeholders in early 2027 to explore gaps in the current offerings and potential new features and options.”
” While the statement doesn’t carry the weight of a state policy, it marks the most concrete progress toward a clean transition tariff in North Carolina in years.
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