Duke Energy named one of North America's top sustainable companies for 15th straight year

CHARLOTTE, N.C., Nov. 16, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- With its expansion of renewable energy and significant reduction in carbon emissions, combined with its continued focus on social responsibility, Duke Energy was recently named to the Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI) for North America for the 15th consecutive year.

"Trust begins with transparency and our stakeholders want to see our progress on the environmental, social and governance topics that matter most," said Katherine Neebe, Duke Energy's chief sustainability officer and president, Duke Energy Foundation. "As we focus on delivering affordable, reliable and increasingly clean energy for our customers and communities, it's an honor to be named to the Dow Jones Sustainability Index for 15 straight years."

Since 1999, the DJSI has evaluated the sustainability of leading companies worldwide.

In selecting the top performers in each business sector, the DJSI reviews companies on several general and industry-specific topics related to economic, environmental and social dimensions.

Among the topics are corporate governance, innovation management, environmental policy, climate strategy, human capital development and corporate citizenship.

The index is compiled annually by S&P Dow Jones and S&P Global.

Since 2007, Duke Energy has published an annual Sustainability Report that summarizes its efforts to advance energy efficiency, develop renewable energy, reduce emissions and more.

The 2019 report is available online.

Some of the company's environmental, social and governance highlights:

• The company is on track to achieve its 2030 goal of reducing carbon emissions from electricity generation by at least 50% from 2005 levels and be net-zero carbon by 2050.
• Duke Energy will double its enterprisewide renewable portfolio from 8 gigawatts to 16 gigawatts by 2025, and at least triple renewable capacity for its regulated utilities by 2030.
• The company will reduce its methane emissions in its natural gas business to net-zero by 2030.
• During 2019, Duke Energy helped communities attract more than 15,000 new jobs and $7.1 billion in capital investment to its service territories.
• Increasing the percentage of underrepresented employee groups, specifically females and minorities, is a Duke Energy priority. The company has an aspirational goal to increase the percentage of females and minorities in its workforce to 25% and 20%, respectively

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 2020 "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.

Contact: Randy Wheeless 
24-Hour: 800.559.3853
Twitter: @DE_RandyW

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SOURCE Duke Energy