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Duke Energy brings new grid battery on line at former Allen coal plant
Duke Energy has brought on line a 50-megawatt, four-hour battery energy storage system (BESS) at its former Allen coal plant on Lake Wylie, serving customers in North Carolina and South Carolina, and has unveiled plans for additional battery storage and new jobs at the Gaston County site.
About this update from Duke Energy Corporation (holding Company)
[{"type":"list","items":[{"val":[{"type":"text","content":"$100 million, 50-megawatt (MW) battery to be followed by 167-MW battery, the company's largest, to support rapid growth across the Carolinas ","length":144,"tagName":"p"}]},{"val":[{"type":"text","content":"New energy infrastructure will reduce fuel costs, maximize 40% federal tax credits to save customers money","length":106,"tagName":"p"}]}],"tagName":"ul","bulletedList":true,"length":250,"olType":false},{"type":"text","content":"CHARLOTTE, N.C., Jan. 14, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Duke Energy has brought on line a 50-megawatt, four-hour battery energy storage system (BESS) at its former Allen coal plant on Lake Wylie, serving customers in North Carolina and South Carolina, and has unveiled plans for additional battery storage and new jobs at the Gaston County site.","length":336,"tagName":"p"},{"type":"image","alt":"Duke Energy logo (PRNewsfoto/Duke Energy)","displaySize":"","headline":null,"caption":"Duke Energy logo (PRNewsfoto/Duke Energy)","className":"","disableSlideshowImg":false,"size":{"original":{"width":400,"height":128,"url":"https://media.zenfs.com/en/prnewswire.com/829a69c01f1ce34f867ba8075a40a22b"},"resized":{"url":"https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/AZkz2p7IVk.0RFE.fpGQ7Q--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTcwNTtoPTIyNjtjZj13ZWJw/https://media.zenfs.com/en/prnewswire.com/829a69c01f1ce34f867ba8075a40a22b","width":400,"height":128}},"href":"https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/660545/Duke_Energy_New_Logo.html","hrefExternal":true,"rel":"nofollow"},{"type":"text","content":"What's happening: The first BESS, at a cost of approximately $100 million, was completed under budget and ahead of schedule, serving customers beginning in November. Final testing is being completed this month. Construction of a second BESS – Duke Energy's largest, a 167‑MW, four-hour system – will begin in May on 10 acres where the coal plant's now-demolished emissions control system once stood.","length":411,"tagName":"p"},{"type":"text","content":"Both lithium-ion battery systems qualify for federal investment tax credits, which will offset 40% of the cost for Duke Energy customers. That figure includes an extra 10% for reinvesting into an energy community; the coal plant retired in December 2024.","length":254,"tagName":"p"},{"type":"text","content":"Our view: "We're building new resources to keep the C...