Duke Energy — Ethics Grade D+

Duke Energy receives an overall ethics grade of D+ (36/100) on CancelCo's corporate accountability database. Sector: Energy. Market cap: Large Cap.

Category scores

• labor: 50
• privacy: 85
• consumer: 30
• environment: 20
• humanRights: 55

Documented incidents (3)

• Dan River Coal Ash Spill (high, 2014) — A pipe break at a coal ash basin released 39,000 tons of toxic ash into the Dan River. The company pleaded guilty to criminal violations of the Clean Water Act and paid record fines.
• Unfair Rate Hikes (medium, 2022) — Critics and advocacy groups challenged significant rate hikes in the Carolinas, arguing that the costs of cleaning up coal ash and building new gas plants were being unfairly passed to consumers.
• Lobbying Against Solar Competition (high, 2021) — Investigation revealed the company used political donations and lobbying to limit independent solar competition and protect its monopoly over energy generation.

Documented good deeds

• South Carolina Solar Expansion — Invested in over 1,000 MW of solar capacity in South Carolina, aiming to retire coal plants by 2035.

Ethical alternatives

• Brookfield Renewable Partners — One of the world's largest publicly traded platforms for renewable power and decarbonization solutions.