(Bloomberg) — Duke Energy Corp. reached a settlement with state regulators that will cut $1.5 billion from its cost to clean up coal ash ponds in North Carolina.The deal announced Thursday ends a legal dispute with the state, which in April ordered the utility to excavate nine ponds. Under the settlement, the company will fully excavate seven ponds and leave potions of the other two undisturbed.Key InsightsDuke estimated in April that excavating all nine ponds would cost as much as $10.5 billion, saying at the time that the state’s order “would impose a financial burden on our customers and the […]