Duke Energy, USA: Leading the Southeast’s energy future through fleet wide gas turbine modernization

Duke Energy is proactively modernizing its gas generation fleet across Florida and the Carolinas to support one of the fastest growing regions in the United States. Serving 8.7 million customers across six states, the electric utility plays a critical role in enabling population growth, industrial development, and energy intensive infrastructure throughout the Southeast.

Rather than pursuing isolated plant upgrades, Duke Energy has taken a coordinated, fleet wide approach, strengthening reliability, improving efficiency, and increasing available capacity across its system. Siemens Energy is supporting this effort with a combination of F(X) Advanced Turbine Efficiency (ATEP), F6 Partial, and FD3+ upgrades, tailored to unit frame, operating profiles, and long term asset strategies.

The Southeast is experiencing sustained load growth driven by population increase, advanced manufacturing, and data center development. At the same time, utilities must manage sharper winter demand peaks, increasing system flexibility requirements, and solar power intermittency, all while maintaining cost discipline for consumers.

For Duke Energy, the challenge was not simply adding megawatts but ensuring that existing assets could deliver dependable performance under more demanding and less predictable operating conditions.

Duke Energy partnered with Siemens Energy to execute a comprehensive modernization program spanning seven power plants and 22 gas turbines across Florida and the Carolinas.

The HF Lee Power Station represents a key milestone in Duke Energy’s modernization program. In fall 2025, three gas turbines at the HF Lee plant were upgraded with Siemens Energy’s F(X) ATEP solution, delivering meaningful improvements in operational performance, efficiency, and system margin that support both local demand and broader grid needs.

Across Duke Energy’s fleet, similar modernization activities are underway to strengthen performance and long term asset value. At the Rockingham Power Station, FD3+ upgrades are being implemented across five gas turbines as part of a phased, multi year program. Two units have already been upgraded, with additional outages planned to complete the remaining units. 

Together, HF Lee and Rockingham illustrate how Duke Energy is applying consistent modernization principles across diverse assets, scaling proven solutions to meet regional growth and reliability requirements.

Duke Energy’s modernization initiative is delivering tangible system wide benefits:

• Increased output: HF Lee alone achieved up to 60 MW of incremental capacity, strengthening Duke Energy’s ability to meet peak demand.
• Enhanced reliability: Improved system margins to support grid stability during winter peaks and other high stress operating conditions.
• Improved efficiency: Heat rate improvements help reduce fuel consumption, supporting affordability for customers.

As additional upgrades are completed across the fleet, these benefits compound, reinforcing Duke Energy’s ability to deliver reliable, cost effective power at scale.

This modernization initiative shows how forward looking utilities can strengthen reliability, improve efficiency, and support economic growth using existing assets and proven technologies.

Through its long standing relationship with Siemens Energy, Duke Energy is advancing a disciplined, fleet wide approach to modernization, positioning its generation system to meet today’s challenges while supporting the Southeast’s long term energy needs.