Duke Energy Appoints New Executive to Lead Wind Power Development

News provided by

Jan 15, 2010, 10:00 ET

CHARLOTTE, N.C., Jan. 15 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Duke Energy Generation Services, part of Duke Energy's commercial businesses, has appointed Tony Dorazio as senior vice president for wind energy development.

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20040414/DUKEENERGYLOGO)

Dorazio, who previously helped launch London-based BP Alternative Energy's wind power business, will lead the project development efforts of a rapidly expanding Duke Energy unit.

Duke Energy Generation Services, or DEGS, owns and operates 733 megawatts of clean, renewable electric generation at seven wind farms in Pennsylvania, Texas and Wyoming. The company expects to bring an additional 251 megawatts on line in 2010 through the construction of wind farms in Wyoming and Colorado. DEGS plans to bring 200 to 300 megawatts of new wind power on line annually for the foreseeable future.

"Our goals for growing our wind business remain both ambitious and achievable," said DEGS president Wouter van Kempen. "Tony Dorazio stood out among a field of strong candidates for the position. I'm confident he'll do an excellent job in leading our efforts to develop commercial wind power projects throughout the U.S."

Dorazio brings 28 years of energy industry experience in the U.S., Europe and Asia to Duke Energy. At BP Alternative Energy, he helped piece together a portfolio comprising 15,000 megawatts of potential wind power projects.

Prior to joining BP, he served as a vice president at Portland, Ore.-based Vestas-American Wind Technology.

"As an outside observer, I've watched Duke Energy quickly emerge as a national wind energy leader," Dorazio said. "I look forward to taking the company's wind development efforts to an even higher level in the years ahead."

Dorazio's role will focus on the development of DEGS' wind power projects, including wind farm site selection, permit application processes, marketing projects to potential large-scale electricity buyers and identifying opportunities to grow the business.

Duke Energy Generation Services

Duke Energy Generation Services (DEGS), part of Duke Energy's Commercial Businesses, is a leader in developing innovative renewable energy solutions, including wind, solar and biopower projects. DEGS builds, owns and operates electric generation for large energy consumers, municipalities, utilities and industrial facilities. DEGS is also working to build commercial transmission capacity to help the U.S. meet its energy needs of the future.

Headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., Duke Energy (NYSE: DUK) is a Fortune 500 company traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol DUK. More information about the company is available on the Internet at: www.duke-energy.com.