US utilities face regulator pushback over large residential rate hike requests

Duke Energy lowered its request for a residential electricity rate increase in North Carolina to 11.6%, down from an earlier 18% proposal, after intense questioning by state regulators about the utility’s capital spending plan and the treatment of data‑center customers. Commissioners highlighted concerns that the utility’s large‑load queue is 70% data centers and warned that costs could be shifted onto residential ratepayers.

In Connecticut, Eversource has asked regulators for an 11% rate increase while seeking to keep more than 300,000 supporting documents confidential. Consumer groups, the Connecticut Consumer Council and Attorney General William Tong have challenged the secrecy request, arguing that ratepayers need full access to the filing to assess the justification for the hike, which could add hundreds of millions of dollars to household bills.