Energy and Utilities

North Carolina’s energy landscape is changing faster than at any point in the State’s history.

New generation resources, shifting regulatory frameworks, a transition away from coal, significant load growth from data centers and advanced manufacturing, and the ongoing implementation of the State’s Carbon Plan are reshaping the obligations and opportunities facing utilities, large energy users, infrastructure and land developers, and businesses of every size.

Navigating that landscape effectively requires attorneys who have worked inside the agencies that interpret and apply the law, not just practitioners who read the orders after they are issued.

Ward and Smith’s Energy and Utilities practice brings that inside perspective to every client matter. Our team includes two North Carolina State Bar Board Certified Specialists in Utilities Law, two former staff attorneys at the North Carolina Utilities Commission, a former Clean Energy Director in the Office of Governor Roy Cooper, a former Deputy Secretary for Policy at the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality, and a former General Counsel of the North Carolina Sustainable Energy Association.

That depth of former-regulatory staff experience is unusual in private practice in North Carolina, and it translates directly into more effective and efficient advocacy for our clients.

Beyond the former-regulatory staff experience, Ward and Smith also has unique depth of Energy and Utilities policy and government relations experience. Indeed, our team includes attorneys who were actively involved in negotiating and/or implementing every piece of landmark energy legislation at the State level that has ultimately been enacted into law over the past decade, including S.L. 2017-192 (House Bill 589), S.L. 2021-165 (House Bill 951), and S.L. 2025-78 (Senate Bill 266).

Who We Represent

Our Energy and Utilities practice represents the interests of water and wastewater public utilities, large energy users, electric cooperatives, manufacturers, businesses, large energy customer groups, homebuilders, homeowners associations, economic developers, and other entities in regulatory proceedings before the North Carolina Utilities Commission (“NCUC”).

Practice attorneys have advocated for the interests of various business clients in complex utility matters, helping them navigate the evolving regulatory landscape while managing their energy costs and advancing their objectives.

Core Services

Regulatory Advocacy

• Representation in general rate cases, rate rider dockets, and other cost recovery proceedings
• Representation in electric public utility integrated resource planning and North Carolina Carbon Plan proceedings
• Advocacy in a variety of energy and utilities stakeholder groups and initiatives
• Representation in utility merger proceedings
• Representation in a variety of federal and state energy and utilities regulatory dockets
• Representation in utility service territory boundary disputes

Energy Policy and Government Relations

• Advocacy on behalf of large energy consumers in Governor Stein’s Energy Policy Task Force
• Experience negotiating and/or implementing every piece of landmark energy legislation at the State level that has ultimately been enacted into law over the past decade, including S.L. 2017-192 (House Bill 589), S.L. 2021-165 (House Bill 951), and S.L. 2025-78 (Senate Bill 266)

Energy Infrastructure and Development

• Support for economic development projects requiring utility infrastructure
• Negotiating power purchase agreements and special contracts
• Advisory services for facility expansion and relocation
• Assistance with public utility service agreements and infrastructure requirements
• Navigation of interconnection requirements and processes
• Advocacy regarding regulatory approvals and certification applications relating to new generation infrastructure and new transmission lines

Energy Cost Management

• Strategic intervention in rate proceedings affecting business operations
• Analysis and advocacy regarding cost recovery proceedings
• Representation in disputes over utility rates and services
• Guidance on energy efficiency and demand-side management program participation
• Advocacy regarding demand response and customer renewable program design

Renewable Energy Integration

• Guidance on renewable energy procurement options, including solar, wind, and battery storage
• Support for behind-the-meter and distributed generation projects
• Assistance with permitting and interconnection requirements
• Navigation of net metering and avoided cost proceedings
• Advocacy regarding generation and battery storage siting, interconnection, and tax credits

Water and Wastewater Utilities

• Representation in water and wastewater utility rate cases before the North Carolina Utilities Commission.
• Guidance on water utility acquisitions, mergers, and transfers of service territory
• Advisory services for municipalities, water authorities, and private water utilities on regulatory compliance
• Support for water infrastructure development projects requiring NCUC approval

Our Approach

We understand that utility costs, quality of utility service, reliability, and generation resource mix are crucial factors in business operations and expansion decisions. Our practice combines deep regulatory knowledge with energy-specific policy and government relations experience and practical business insight, and team members work closely with our environmental, land use and zoning, appellate, and corporate practices to provide comprehensive solutions to complex energy challenges.

Christina Cress leads the practice. She is a North Carolina State Bar Board Certified Specialist in Utilities Law and was recognized by Chambers USA as “Up and Coming” in Energy and Natural Resources in 2025. Before joining Ward and Smith, she served as a staff attorney at the North Carolina Utilities Commission, where she gained firsthand experience in rate cases, resource planning proceedings, and the implementation of state energy programs, including those created by House Bill 589, enacted in 2017. She played a key role in negotiating and/or implementing multiple pieces of energy legislation over the past decade, regularly appears before the Commission, and maintains strong working relationships with key regulators and stakeholders.

Peter Ledford is also a North Carolina State Bar Board Certified Specialist in Utilities Law. Before entering private practice, he served as Deputy Secretary for Policy at the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality, where he worked on energy and climate resilience policy. He previously served as Clean Energy Director in the Office of Governor Roy Cooper, advancing the state’s climate and clean energy agenda, and spent nearly eight years at the North Carolina Sustainable Energy Association, ultimately serving as General Counsel and Director of Policy. His background spans law, legislation, and public policy, giving clients a practical perspective on the intersection of regulatory process and political reality.

Erin Duffy brings significant experience from both state and federal regulatory bodies. She served as Senior Counsel in the Legal Division of the North Carolina Utilities Commission, where she drafted Commission orders, served as a Hearing Examiner, and advised the Commission across a broad range of proceedings. She also served as an Attorney Advisor with the Federal Communications Commission, where she assisted with implementing the Telecommunications Act of 1996 and advised on national telecommunications infrastructure and governance. Her dual agency background is particularly valuable in matters involving the growing intersection of utility regulation and telecommunications infrastructure.