Duke Energy CEO Lynn Good comments on EPA's Clean Power Plan

CHARLOTTE, N.C., Aug. 3, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Duke Energy President and CEO Lynn Good today issued the following statement regarding finalization of the Clean Power Plan (CPP), a major new federal regulation which sets carbon dioxide emission limits for existing power plants in each state. The plan requires that states develop individual compliance plans to meet the new goals.

"This ambitious plan seeks to build on the substantial progress Duke Energy and other utilities have made to reduce our environmental footprint. Even without federal regulations, our company has reduced carbon dioxide emissions from our power plants by 22 percent since 2005.

"As we continue to move to a lower carbon future, we will also continue to work constructively with states to identify customer solutions that preserve the reliability and affordability that our communities expect. As we continue to modernize our system, energy diversity will be important – nuclear, natural gas, state-of-the-art coal, hydro, renewables, energy efficiency and energy storage."

Additional backgroundIn addition to Duke Energy's carbon dioxide reductions of 22 percent since 2005, sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides are down 86 and 65 percent, respectively.

• The company retired 40 older coal units across the Carolinas and the Midwest since 2011, replacing those plants with state-of-the-art, highly efficient coal and natural gas facilities, investing more than $9 billion to lower emissions.
• Since 1999, Duke Energy invested more than $7 billion in environmental control equipment on its remaining coal units.
• In addition, the company is working to extend the use of nuclear plants, which provide zero-carbon energy.
• As of the end of 2014, the company owned or had under contract more than 3,000 MW of wind, solar and biomass.

Duke EnergyDuke Energy is the largest electric power holding company in the United States. Its regulated utility operations serve approximately 7.3 million electric customers located in six states in the Southeast and Midwest. Its commercial power and international energy business segments own and operate diverse power generation assets in North America and Latin America, including a growing portfolio of renewable energy assets in the United States.

Headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., Duke Energy is a Fortune 250 company traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol DUK. More information about the company is available at duke-energy.com. 

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SOURCE Duke Energy