Duke Energy signs third deal in China (Charlotte)

Duke Energy Corp. has signed a third agreement with a major Chinese power company, this time concentrating on smart-grid capabilities.

Duke declines to identify the company, saying the deal has not been publicly disclosed in China. But Charlotte-based Duke confirms an agreement has been signed and work has already begun.

The partner is likely State Grid Corp., the largest power distributor in China.

There are only two major players in China’s transmission and distribution system — State Grid and China Southern Power Grid Corp. Duke has been open about its interest in working with State Grid. And in January, Duke confirmed it was in talks with the company. At the time, a spokesman said no agreements were imminent.

That apparently changed early this month, when Duke Chief Executive Jim Rogers and Chief Technology Officer David Mohler spent a week in China.

Read the full story in the Charlotte Business Journal.