RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) — The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) issued an emergency order to help avoid blackouts on Friday in North Carolina as temperatures in Raleigh topped 100 degrees, and a heat advisory was issued
The order allows Duke Energy in both Carolinas to operate up to their “maximum generation output levels, notwithstanding air quality or other permit limitations,” a DOE news release said.
Federal officials said that Duke Energy warned that its system “may not have sufficient generation available to meet this unusually high demand and [Duke Energy] may be forced to curtail load in order to maintain security and reliability of the grid.”
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The emergency order impacts Duke Energy Carolinas and Duke Energy Progress, which is the coverage area of the former Progress Energy for the Raleigh area.
The DOE news release said Duke Energy, which serves 3.7 million North Carolina electric customers, reported some generating units “are limited in providing needed generation because of conditions and limitations in their environmental permits.”…