GREENVILLE — As one of South Carolina’s largest electric utilities, which also powers most of North Carolina, plans to combine its subsidiaries across state lines, it continues to raise rates .

Duke Energy, a Charlotte-based publicly traded company, said the merger between its Carolinas and Progress subsidiaries could help save customers between $1.6 and $3.2 billion by 2038, once the estimated $143 million costs of the consolidation are factored in.

The merger has been on the table since 2012 when Duke acquired Progress Energy, which covers most of eastern North Carolina and South Carolina’s Pee Dee region. But the formal push comes as Duke has requested to raise rates, proposed a new gas plant, and shortly after a new state law overhauled the rate review process .

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