NEW YORK, Jan 12 (Reuters) - Duke Energy Corp customers in North Carolina will see a 7.7% jump on their monthly energy bills starting Jan. 15, the utility said on Friday.

The utility said the rate increase, as approved by the North Carolina Utilities Commission, will help strengthen the electricity grid and improve reliability during severe weather conditions as it transitions away from fossil fuel sources.

Duke Energy Carolinas serves about 2 million households and businesses in central and western North Carolina.

For a typical residential customers using 1,000 kilowatt-hours (kWh) per month, the monthly bill will increase 7.7% to $140.33 per month. This will be followed by a 3% increase in January 2025, and again in January 2026.

The utility already implemented an interim rate adjustment in September.

"This commission order enables us to continue meeting the energy demands of a growing region while limiting annual rate increases and giving customers more cost certainty," said Kendal Bowman, Duke Energy's North Carolina president.

Duke Energy said in June it planned to spend $65 billion over the next five years, with most of it going toward the company's transition to low-carbon energy sources. (Reporting by Nicole Jao; Editing by Will Dunham)