CHARLOTTE, N.C., Jan. 21, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- After a year
in which the company continued providing cleaner energy to its
customers, shifting to more flexible, low- and no-carbon sources
while maintaining high reliability and rates below the national
average, Duke Energy (NYSE: DUK) has been named to Fortune
magazine's 2020 list of the World's Most Admired Companies for the
third year in a row. Duke Energy was ranked 5th among
gas and electric utilities.
"We're making a smarter energy future a reality for our
customers and communities," said Lynn
Good, Duke Energy's chairman, president and CEO. "As we
transform the customer experience, we're making significant
investments in the energy grid and cleaner generation to deliver
even greater value to customers and shareholders in the years
ahead."
In determining the industry rankings, executives, directors and
industry analysts are independently surveyed and companies are
rated on nine attributes: innovation, people management, use of
corporate assets, social responsibility, quality of management,
financial soundness, long-term investment, quality of
products/services and global competitiveness.
Recent company performance highlights
- Delivering value to customers – Duke Energy's 7.7
million electric customers continue to benefit from rates below the
national average, while also receiving strong reliability.
- Combating climate change – Since 2005, Duke Energy
has reduced its carbon emissions by 31%. In September, the company
updated its climate strategy with a new goal of net-zero carbon
emissions by 2050 and accelerated its 2030 goal, now cutting carbon
emissions by at least 50%.
- Responding to storms – In response to Hurricane Dorian,
Duke Energy mobilized nearly 8,000 resources in Florida and more than 10,000 resources in the
Carolinas and restored more than 95% of the 300,000 outages within
24 hours.
- Investing in renewable energy – Since 2007, Duke
Energy has grown its renewable generation portfolio and now has
more than 7,100 megawatts (MW) of wind, solar and biomass capacity
owned or under contract. Duke Energy is on track to meet its
goal of owning or having under contract 8,000 MW of wind, solar and
biomass capacity by the end of 2020.
- Powering communities – Through its Powerful
Communities program, the Duke Energy Foundation annually invests
more than $30 million in charitable
grants to bolster education, advance the workforce, safeguard
nature and strengthen communities. Through the Duke Energy In
Action program, employees and retirees annually volunteer more than
100,000 hours and donate millions of dollars to nonprofit
organizations.
About Duke Energy
Duke Energy (NYSE: DUK), a Fortune 150 company headquartered in
Charlotte, N.C., is one of the
largest energy holding companies in the U.S. It employs 30,000
people and has an electric generating capacity of 51,000 megawatts
through its regulated utilities and 3,000 megawatts through its
nonregulated Duke Energy Renewables unit.
Duke Energy is transforming its customers' experience,
modernizing the energy grid, generating cleaner energy and
expanding natural gas infrastructure to create a smarter energy
future for the people and communities it serves. The Electric
Utilities and Infrastructure unit's regulated utilities serve
approximately 7.7 million retail electric customers in six states –
North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Indiana, Ohio
and Kentucky. The Gas Utilities
and Infrastructure unit distributes natural gas to more than 1.6
million customers in five states – North
Carolina, South Carolina,
Tennessee, Ohio and Kentucky. The Duke Energy Renewables unit
operates wind and solar generation facilities across the U.S., as
well as energy storage and microgrid projects.
Duke Energy was named to Fortune's 2019 "World's Most Admired
Companies" list and Forbes' 2019 "America's Best Employers" list.
More information about the company is available at duke-energy.com.
The Duke Energy News Center contains news releases, fact
sheets, photos, videos and other materials. Duke Energy's
illumination features stories about people, innovations,
community topics and environmental issues. Follow Duke Energy on
Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook.
24-hour media line: 800.559.3853
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SOURCE Duke Energy