RALEIGH, N.C. (WHKY) — North Carolina Attorney General Jeff Jackson says Duke Energy Progress misstated the effect of its proposed residential rate increase during testimony before the North Carolina Utilities Commission. Duke Energy says an executive inadvertently mixed up two figures during the testimony and that its official settlement filings are accurate.

According to the North Carolina Department of Justice, Duke Energy executive Kendal Bowman described the proposed two-year residential increase as 6.8 percent. Bowman testified that rates would increase 3.7 percent during the first year and 3.1 percent during the second year.

Jackson’s office says the 6.8 percent figure represents the average increase across all customer classes. The Attorney General says Duke’s previously filed testimony shows residential customers would pay approximately 9.3 percent more over the two-year period.

Duke Energy spokesperson Bill Norton confirmed that the 9.3 percent figure came from testimony previously filed by the company and was publicly available before Bowman misspoke. Norton disputed the Justice Department’s original characterization of the figure as the result of independent calculations.

“Our settlement filings are accurate — this was a simple case of one figure being inadvertently mixed up with another during discussion, which can happen when talking about thousands of pages of testimony,” Duke Energy said in a statement.

The company added that nearly all parties involved in the rate review have agreed to what Duke describes as a significant reduction for residential customers and other customer classes.

“The details matter here, and Duke got it wrong under oath,” Jackson said.

Duke originally requested an 18.1 percent residential rate increase. The company later reached a proposed settlement with the North Carolina Public Staff and other parties. Jackson declined to sign the settlement.

The North Carolina Utilities Commission is considering the proposed settlement and will determine whether it should be approved. If approved, the new rates would take effect January 1, 2027.

The proceeding involves Duke Energy Progress, which primarily serves eastern North Carolina and the Asheville area. Duke Energy Carolinas, which serves much of western and central North Carolina, has a separate rate case.