US utility Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK) will terminate its offshore wind lease in the Carolina Long Bay area under a settlement agreement with the US Department of the Interior (DoI) and will redirect nearly USD 129 million (EUR 113.1m) to new power generation projects, including potential natural gas and nuclear capacity, along with grid investments in the Carolinas.

North Carolina's Duke Energy's agreement raises the number of leases up for cancellation to nine, with $2.6bn in refunds committed by the administration

A Duke Energy subsidiary paid $155 million for the lease in 2022, saying it could support up to 1.6 GW of capacity. The utility now says it will “refocus” nearly $129 million to…