Webinar: Power Sector Mergers and Competitiveness

The US utility sector is entering a new era of consolidation. The merger of Duke Energy Carolinas and Duke Energy Progress will reunify Duke Energy’s electric operations across the Carolinas after more than a decade of operating as separate regulated utilities. Meanwhile, NextEra Energy’s proposed acquisition of Dominion Energy would create the nation’s largest regulated electric utility company.

Proponents argue that larger utilities can achieve economies of scale, lower financing costs, and more efficiently deploy the infrastructure needed to meet rising demand from electrification, manufacturing, and AI-driven data centers. Critics counter that increasing concentration may reduce regulatory leverage, limit competitive pressures, and raise concerns about customer costs, market power, and system resilience.  

This webinar will examine the drivers behind utility consolidation, the potential impacts for customers and investors, what these transactions could mean for the future structure of the US electric power sector, and state policy options available to advance competitiveness.  

Jackson Ewing (Nicholas Institute) will lead a policy discussion with Maggie Shober (Southern Alliance for Clean Energy) on merger implications, followed by the presentation of new utility merger analysis and updates to the Southeast Power Sector Competitiveness Dashboard by the Nicholas Institute team.

Speaker slides from the webinar are available for download at duke.box.com/v/powersectormergers.

Jackson Ewing, Ph.D.

Director of Energy and Climate Policy, Nicholas Institute for Energy, Environment & Sustainability, Duke University

Jackson Ewing is director of energy and climate policy at the Nicholas Institute for Energy, Environment & Sustainability at Duke University. He holds additional appointments as an adjunct associate professor at the Nicholas School of the Environment, a faculty affiliate with the Duke Center for International Development at the Sanford School of Public Policy and the Duke Asian/Pacific Studies Center, and faculty lead for the Duke Kunshan University International Masters of Environmental Policy program.

Ewing’s work seeks to help facilitate energy transitions internationally and in the United States. His current projects focus on international climate finance and just energy transition partnerships, systems-level changes needed to meet net-zero goals in the United States, international carbon pricing and clubs, and US-China climate relations. Ewing has worked in more than 20 countries, and collaborates closely with actors in government, the private sector, civil society, and international organizations. He publishes widely and contributes to radio, television, and print media.

Trey Gowdy

Senior Policy Researcher, Energy and Climate Policy, Nicholas Institute for Energy, Environment & Sustainability, Duke University

Trey Gowdy supports the Nicholas Institute for Energy, Environment & Sustainability work through research, project management, and educational programs. This includes work on open energy data, transportation electrification in the Southeast, interdisciplinary energy and climate student programs, and more.
 
Gowdy holds a M.A. in public administration and a B.A. in political science from the University of North Florida. Gowdy has worked in state government clean energy and higher education sustainability programs at the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources and Florida State University Sustainable Campus.

Eric Parajon, Ph.D.

Senior Policy Analyst, Energy and Climate Policy, Nicholas Institute for Energy, Environment & Sustainability, Duke University

Eric Parajon is a senior policy analyst for the Energy and Climate Policy team at the Nicholas Institute for Energy, Environment & Sustainability at Duke University. His current work primarily involves conducting research and analyzing policy and science related to the electricity sector in the United States.

Prior to joining Duke, Parajon earned a B.A. in government from William & Mary and a Ph.D. in political science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he worked on American public opinion of the climate.

Maggie Shober

Research Director, Southern Alliance for Clean Energy

Maggie Shober works to speed the clean energy transformation in the Southeast through analysis and advocacy. She has expertise in renewable energy, energy efficiency, coal retirements, energy market modeling, and transmission. In October of 2019, Shober transitioned into the research director position and leads SACE’s technical work.

Prior to SACE, Shober advised energy companies and utilities as part of Navigant Consulting’s Energy Practice. She also has hands-on experience in both federal and state policy. She holds a master’s of energy and environmental policy from the University of Delaware, and a B.S. in physics and environmental studies from Allegheny College.

Ben Weintraut

Ph.D. candidate, Duke University

Ben Weintraut is a Ph.D. candidate in environmental economics at Duke University and an affiliated researcher at the Nicholas Institute for Energy, Environment & Sustainability. He holds an M.A. in public policy from the University of Chicago and a B.A. in economics and political science from the University of Georgia.