By John Murawski, News & Observer.

North Carolina, one of the nation’s leading agricultural producers, will once again fall short on a state mandate to generate electricity from hog waste and poultry droppings.

The N.C. Utilities Commission this week approved a one-year delay – the fifth such delay since 2012 – after Duke Energy and other power producers in the state said they will not be able to meet the goal.

North Carolina is the only state in the nation that requires electric companies to generate a portion of their power from hog sludge and poultry droppings. But the technology is not well-proven or economically viable, resulting in repeated requests for delays despite sluggish progress.