as of april 01, 2019 north carolina has ordered duke energy to dig up millions of tons of coal ash at six of its power plants. the dangerous coal ash has been mixed with water and stored in uncovered, unlined ponds for decades, but following the 2014 dan river coal ash spill, many lawsuits have been filed. if the plaintiffs in these cases are successful, duke energy would be required to drain all of its 31 ponds. the draining process would cost $5 billion to the already $5.6 billion cleanup from 2014. with the added costs, duke energy customers could expect to pay a higher fee in the next coming years.