Duke Energy Seeks $1.1 Billion for Hurricane Response Costs

Duke Energy, a major U.S. utility, has filed a proposal with the Florida Public Service Commission (FPSC) to recover approximately $1.1 billion in expenses incurred during its emergency response to hurricanes Debby, Helene, and Milton. The storms, which struck Duke’s service areas, caused significant damage to the company’s infrastructure, including transmission lines and power poles, leaving tens of thousands of customers without power.

The request comes as severe weather conditions have led utilities across the U.S. to incur higher operating and maintenance costs. Duke, which serves North and South Carolina, explained that the hurricane damage necessitated the deployment of hundreds of response crews, as well as substantial assistance from national and Canadian teams to restore power.

If the filing is approved, Duke estimates that residential customers’ monthly bills will rise by approximately $21 for every 1,000 kilowatt-hours (kWh) of electricity used, starting in March 2025. These storm-related costs would be reflected on bills through the end of February 2026.

The filing follows similar requests from other utilities, such as NextEra Energy’s Florida Power & Light Company, which in October sought to recover nearly $1.2 billion in costs related to Hurricane Milton’s destruction.