Duke Energy is asking state and federal regulators to approve to a merger of its two utility companies providing power to the Palmetto and Tar Heel states.
To get South Carolina regulators to agree, the utility company proposes shuffling money around between customer groups to prevent potential sticker shock to its electric customers in the Upstate.
Duke’s customers in the Pee Dee and eastern North Carolina pay more per megawatt than customers in the Upstate, Charlotte area and western North Carolina. Merging the companies could result in major hikes for customers in South Carolina’s northwest corner, if they’re asked to pay more for a portion of the East’s more expensive power costs…