UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM 8-K
CURRENT REPORT
Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934
Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported): July 17, 2026
| Commission file number | Registrant, State of Incorporation or Organization, Address of Principal Executive Offices and Telephone Number | IRS Employer Identification No. |
 | ||
| 1-32853 | DUKE ENERGY CORPORATION (a Delaware corporation) 525 South Tryon Street Charlotte, North Carolina 28202 800-488-3853
| 20-2777218 |
1-04928 | DUKE ENERGY CAROLINAS, LLC (a North Carolina limited liability company) 525 South Tryon Street Charlotte, North Carolina 28202 800-488-3853
| 56-0205520 |
Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions:
¨ Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425)
¨ Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12)
¨ Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b))
¨ Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c))
SECURITIES REGISTERED PURSUANT TO SECTION 12(b) OF THE ACT:
| Registrant | Title of each class | Trading Symbol(s) | Name of each exchange on which registered |
| Duke Energy | Common Stock, $0.001 par value | DUK | New York Stock Exchange LLC |
| Duke Energy | 5.625% Junior Subordinated Debentures due September 15, 2078 | DUKB | New York Stock Exchange LLC |
| Duke Energy | each representing a 1/1,000th interest in a share of 5.75% Series A Cumulative Redeemable Perpetual Preferred Stock, par value $0.001 per share | ||
| Duke Energy | 3.10% Senior Notes due 2028 | DUK 28A | New York Stock Exchange LLC |
| Duke Energy | 3.85% Senior Notes due 2034 | DUK 34 | New York Stock Exchange LLC |
| Duke Energy | 3.75% Senior Notes due 2031 | DUK31A | New York Stock Exchange LLC |
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an emerging growth company as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act of 1933 (§230.405 of this chapter) or Rule 12b-2 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (§240.12b-2 of this chapter).
Emerging growth company ¨
If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ¨
Item 7.01. Regulation FD Disclosure.
On July 17, 2026, Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC (“DEC”) filed a Comprehensive Revenue Requirement Settlement (the “Comprehensive Settlement” and collectively with all other stipulations, “the Stipulations”) with the Public Staff – North Carolina Utilities Commission (the “Public Staff”) and other intervenors (together, “Intervening Parties”) in connection with DEC's application for adjustment of rates and charges and for Performance Based Regulation ("PBR") filed with the North Carolina Utilities Commission ("NCUC") on November 20, 2025. Testimony consistent with the Comprehensive Settlement will be filed next week. The Comprehensive Settlement resolves all remaining revenue requirement items in the case including, among other things, (i) a return on equity of 9.8% based on a 53% equity component in the capital structure, (ii) a retail rate base of approximately $25.7 billion for the historic base case, (iii) approximately $3.8 billion of capital in the multi-year rate plan (“MYRP”) along with an annual MYRP refund mechanism, and (iv) agreement to evaluate the potential to delay its next base rate case filing until no earlier than November 1, 2028, so long as the NCUC grants deferral of costs of certain new generating assets. Additionally, the Intervening Parties agreed to pursue good faith settlement discussions in the ongoing Duke Energy Progress (“DEP”) rate case proceeding (Docket No. E-2, Sub 1380) to reach a substantially similar settlement framework for the DEP proceeding.
The Stipulations are expected to result in one-time pre-tax accounting charges of approximately $40 million, to be recognized by DEC in 2026. These charges are expected to be treated as special items and excluded from adjusted earnings.
An overview providing additional detail on the Comprehensive Settlement is attached to this Form 8-K as Exhibit 99.1. The information in Exhibit 99.1 is being furnished pursuant to this Item 7.01 and shall not be deemed “filed” for purposes of Section 18 of the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or otherwise subject to the liabilities of that section.
Item 9.01. Financial Statements and Exhibits.
(d) Exhibits.
| 99.1 | Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC Fact Sheet Regarding 2026 Comprehensive Settlement. |
| 104 | Cover Page Interactive Data File (the cover page XBRL tags are embedded in the Inline XBRL document). |
SIGNATURE
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.
| DUKE ENERGY CORPORATION | ||
| Date: July 17, 2026 | By: | /s/ David S. Maltz |
| Name: | David S. Maltz | |
| Title: | Vice President, Corporate Legal Support, Chief Governance Officer and Corporate Secretary | |
| DUKE ENERGY CAROLINAS, LLC | ||
| Date: July 17, 2026 | By: | /s/ David S. Maltz |
| Name: | David S. Maltz | |
| Title: | Vice President, Chief Governance Officer, Corporate Secretary and Mergers and Acquisitions | |
| Co-Registrant CIK | 0000030371 |
| Co-Registrant Amendment Flag | false |
| Co-Registrant Form Type | 8-K |
| Co-Registrant DocumentPeriodEndDate | 2026-07-17 |
| Co-Registrant Written Communications | false |
| Co-Registrant Solicitating Materials | false |
| Co-Registrant PreCommencement Tender Offer | false |
| Co-Registrant PreCommencement Issuer Tender Offer | false |
| Co-Registrant Emerging Growth Company | false |