Duke Energy Donates $80,000 to The Nature Conservancy for Shareholders Choosing Paperless Delivery of Annual Report

CHARLOTTE, N.C., April 3 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Duke Energy today announced that it made an $80,000 donation to The Nature Conservancy on behalf of the approximately 80,000 shareholders who last year chose electronic delivery of the Duke Energy 2006 Summary Annual Report, the Duke Energy Form 10-K and the company's proxy statement.

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"In last year's annual report, we pledged to donate $1 to the Conservancy for every shareholder who chose electronic delivery of our financial information, and we're pleased at the response," said Duke Energy Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer, James E. Rogers.

"Encouraging our shareholders to request paperless financial information not only reduces costs, but helps save valuable natural resources," said Sean Trauschke, vice president, Investor Relations. "We are making the same pledge for our 2007 annual report. This is another way to reinforce our commitment to environmental and sustainability leadership."

"This partnership creates a double win for those who care about sustaining the Earth's resources," said Steven J. McCormick, president and chief executive officer of The Nature Conservancy. "The 80,000 shareholders directly helped save trees, energy and water by forgoing printed materials. And the donation from Duke Energy will have a meaningful impact on the Conservancy's ability to protect plants, animals and natural communities for future generations to use and enjoy."

Duke Energy shareholders opting for electronic delivery of the company's financial information only need to sign up once at: https://www.icsdelivery.com/duk/index.html.

The online edition of Duke Energy's 2006 Summary Annual Report, "Changing minds, changing habits ... to solve the new energy equation," can be accessed at: http://www.duke-energy.com/investors. Mailing of the report to shareholders not choosing electronic delivery was scheduled for the week of April 2.

The Nature Conservancy is a leading conservation organization working around the world to protect ecologically important lands and waters for nature and people. To date, the Conservancy and its more than one million members have been responsible for the protection of more than 15 million acres in the United States and have helped preserve more than 102 million acres in Latin America, the Caribbean, Asia and the Pacific. Visit The Nature Conservancy on the Web at http://nature.org/.

Duke Energy Corp., one of the largest electric power companies in the United States, supplies and delivers energy to approximately 3.9 million U.S. customers. The company has nearly 37,000 megawatts of electric generating capacity in the Midwest and the Carolinas, and natural gas distribution services in Ohio and Kentucky. In addition, Duke Energy has more than 4,000 megawatts of electric generation in Latin America, and is a joint-venture partner in a U.S. real estate company.

Headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., Duke Energy 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: http://www.duke-energy.com/.

CONTACTS: Duke Energy Mark Craft Phone: 704/382-7364 or 513/419-5943 24-Hour: 704/382-8333 The Nature Conservancy Maria Sadowski Phone: 919/403-8558, ext. 1011