Duke Energy named one of Fortune's 'World's Most Admired Companies' for third consecutive year

- Company continues to execute a customer-focused strategy that is guiding its investments and delivering value to customers.

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Duke Energy

Jan 21, 2020, 10:22 ET

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 5^th 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.

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SOURCE Duke Energy