Duke Energy Florida will begin removing its storm cost recovery charge one month earlier than planned after recovering the full $1.1 billion in costs from hurricanes Debby, Helene and Milton. Beginning in February, residential customers will see an average $33 reduction per 1,000 kWh on their monthly bills compared with January levels. In March, an additional $11 decrease per 1,000 kWh will be applied, resulting in total savings of $44 per 1,000 kWh versus January. Commercial and industrial customers will experience bill reductions of between 9.6% and 15.8%, depending on usage patterns. These measures follow efficiency improvements at natural gas plants that have yielded $340 million in fuel-cost savings (about $10 per residential customer per month), three new solar sites delivering $750 million in displaced fuel costs and $65 million in passed-through tax credits, translating to at least $2.50 in savings per 1,000 kWh for residential accounts.

Duke Energy has commissioned a 50-megawatt, four-hour lithium-ion battery energy storage system (BESS) at the decommissioned Allen coal plant for $100 million, completing the project under budget and ahead of schedule. Final testing is underway after the system went live in November, serving customers in North Carolina and South Carolina. Construction of a second BESS—a 167-MW, four-hour system and the company’s largest to date—will commence in May on the former emissions-control site. Both installations qualify for a 40% federal investment tax credit, including an extra 10% for reinvestment in energy communities. Duke Energy’s 2025 Carolinas Resource Plan proposes a further 6,550 MW of battery capacity by 2035 to meet growing demand, enough to power over 5 million homes during peak periods, while repurposing retired coal plant sites across the Carolinas.