Dive Brief:

• A group of renewable energy advocates in North Carolina have asked the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to stop Duke Energy from building additional power plants.

• NC WARN said the electric utility should buy power from other generating companies in the Southeast. The group contended that power suppliers in North and South Carolina have plenty of excess capacity through existing power plants to serve the population.

• Duke countered that it has built natural gas and solar units to replace some of its coal-burning power plants.

Dive Insight:

NC WARN directed its appeal to federal regulators after the North Carolina Utilities Commission shot down similar requests in the past. Duke noted that the North Carolina Public Staff has supported further building by the utility.