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Duke Energy’s influence in North Carolina goes well beyond the electricity bill.
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Protesters demonstrate during Duke Energy’s 2014 shareholder meeting in Charlotte, North Carolina, following a coal ash spill.
For the vast majority of North Carolina’s 10 million–plus residents, there is only one option if they’d like to heat their home, turn on the lights, or charge their phone: Duke Energy. The largest investor-owned electric utility in the nation, Duke operates an effective monopoly on energy in the state, while also supplying natural gas and coal-generated electricity to customers (or hostages, if you’re feeling particularly spicy) across the nation.