23.05.2008 19:04:00
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FPL Group Chairman Tells Shareholders That Company is Well Positioned for Long-Term Growth
FPL Group (NYSE:FPL) performed exceptionally well in 2007 and has
outstanding growth prospects going forward, FPL Group Chairman and CEO
Lewis Hay, III told shareholders at the company’s
annual meeting today.
In 2007, total shareholder return on FPL Group stock was 28 percent,
compared to 19 percent for the S&P Utility Index and 5.5 percent for the
S&P 500. Similarly reflecting the company’s
strong performance in a broad range of areas in 2007, Fortune magazine
named FPL Group Inc. No. 1 for the second year in a row in the category
of electric and gas utilities in its list of "America’s
Most Admired Companies.”
Looking forward, FPL Group is well positioned for the long term at both
of its businesses – Florida Power & Light
Company and FPL Energy – and is guided by a
balanced growth strategy, Hay said.
In addition to supporting Florida’s future
growth, FPL Group’s utility, Florida Power &
Light Company, will be investing to lower customers’
fuel cost, reduce emissions, increase conservation and improve system
reliability.
These new investments include:
Energy efficiency programs and an advanced metering initiative.
New renewable energy projects that the company is proposing.
Proposed additional gas generation projects, including the
modernization of two older plants to reduce emissions and increase
fuel efficiency.
Expanded capacity at its existing nuclear plants.
And, long-term initiatives to make FPL’s
electrical system more resilient to storms.
"These investments will be focused on
improving efficiency and reducing our fuel costs as well as further
improving our clean environmental profile,”
said Hay.
FPL Energy is planning $16 billion to $20 billion of renewable
investments in the 2007-2012 period. The company currently has more than
22,000 megawatts in its wind development pipeline, and expects to add
between 7,000 and 9,000 megawatts of new wind capacity by 2012.
In 2007, FPL Energy installed 1,064 megawatts of new wind capacity,
primarily in Texas, Colorado, North Dakota and Iowa. In fact, FPL Energy
added more megawatts of wind energy capacity in the U.S. than any other
company, as it has in every year but one since 2000.
Solar is expected to be a good growth opportunity for FPL Energy, Hay
noted. By 2012, FPL Energy plans to add between 200-400 megawatts of new
solar generating capacity. The company recently filed a certification
application with the California Energy Commission (CEC) to build, own
and operate a 250-megawatt solar thermal energy plant in Kern County,
Calif.
"Overall, FPL Group has a strong track record
of earnings growth, a proven strategy going forward, a great team and is
well-positioned for attractive, above-industry-average, long-term growth,”
Hay said.
Shareholders elect all directors, ratify appointment of independent
registered public accounting firm, and approve FPL Group Executive
Annual Incentive Plan
During the meeting, shareholders elected the following slate of
directors to a one-year term: Sherry S. Barrat, Robert M. Beall,
II, J. Hyatt Brown, James L. Camaren, J. Brian Ferguson, Lewis Hay, III,
Toni Jennings, Oliver D. Kingsley, Jr., Rudy E. Schupp, Michael H.
Thaman, Hansel E. Tookes, II, and Paul R. Tregurtha.
Shareholders also ratified the appointment of Deloitte & Touche LLP as
the company's independent registered public accounting firm for the year
ending Dec. 31, 2008, and approved the FPL Group Executive Annual
Incentive Plan.
Dividend Declared
Also today, the board of directors declared a regular quarterly common
stock dividend of 44.5 cents per share. The dividend is payable June 16,
2008, to shareholders of record June 6, 2008. Today's board action mark
the 250th consecutive quarterly dividend paid to the holders of FPL
Group common stock.
Profile
FPL Group, with annual revenues of over $15 billion, is nationally known
as a high quality, efficient, and customer-driven organization focused
on energy-related products and services. With a growing presence in 27
states, it is widely recognized as one of the country's premier power
companies. Its rate-regulated subsidiary, Florida Power & Light Company,
serves 4.5 million customer accounts in Florida. FPL Energy, LLC, an FPL
Group competitive energy subsidiary, is a leader in producing
electricity from clean and renewable fuels. Additional information is
available on the Internet at www.FPLGroup.com,
www.FPL.com and www.FPLEnergy.com.
Cautionary Statements
In connection with the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities
Litigation Reform Act of 1995 (Reform Act), FPL Group, Inc. (FPL Group)
and Florida Power & Light Company (FPL) are hereby providing cautionary
statements identifying important factors that could cause FPL Group's or
FPL's actual results to differ materially from those projected in
forward-looking statements (as such term is defined in the Reform Act)
made by or on behalf of FPL Group and FPL in this press release. Any
statements that express, or involve discussions as to, expectations,
beliefs, plans, objectives, assumptions, future events or performance,
climate change strategy or growth strategies (often, but not always,
through the use of words or phrases such as will likely result, are
expected to, will continue, is anticipated, aim, believe, could,
estimated, may, plan, potential, projection, target, outlook, predict,
intend) are not statements of historical facts and may be
forward-looking. Forward-looking statements involve estimates,
assumptions and uncertainties. Accordingly, any such statements are
qualified in their entirety by reference to, and are accompanied by, the
following important factors (in addition to any assumptions and other
factors referred to specifically in connection with such forward-looking
statements) that could cause FPL Group's or FPL's actual results to
differ materially from those contained in forward-looking statements
made by or on behalf of FPL Group and FPL:
FPL Group and FPL are subject to complex laws and regulations, and to
changes in laws or regulations, including, but not limited to, the
PURPA, the Holding Company Act, the Federal Power Act, the Atomic
Energy Act of 1954, as amended, the 2005 Energy Act and certain
sections of the Florida statutes relating to public utilities,
changing governmental policies and regulatory actions, including, but
not limited to, those of the FERC, the FPSC and the legislatures and
utility commissions of other states in which FPL Group has operations,
and the NRC, with respect to, among other things, allowed rates of
return, industry and rate structure, operation of nuclear power
facilities, construction and operation of plant facilities,
construction and operation of transmission and distribution
facilities, acquisition, disposal, depreciation and amortization of
assets and facilities, recovery of fuel and purchased power costs,
decommissioning costs, ROE and equity ratio limits, and present or
prospective wholesale and retail competition (including, but not
limited to, retail wheeling and transmission costs). The FPSC has the
authority to disallow recovery by FPL of any and all costs that it
considers excessive or imprudently incurred. The regulatory process
generally restricts FPL's ability to grow earnings and does not
provide any assurance as to achievement of earnings levels.
FPL Group and FPL are subject to extensive federal, state and local
environmental statutes, rules and regulations, as well as the effect
of changes in or additions to applicable statutes, rules and
regulations relating to air quality, water quality, climate change,
waste management, marine and wildlife mortality, natural resources and
health and safety that could, among other things, restrict or limit
the output of certain facilities or the use of certain fuels required
for the production of electricity and/or require additional pollution
control equipment and otherwise increase costs. There are significant
capital, operating and other costs associated with compliance with
these environmental statutes, rules and regulations, and those costs
could be even more significant in the future.
FPL Group and FPL operate in a changing market environment influenced
by various legislative and regulatory initiatives regarding
deregulation, regulation or restructuring of the energy industry,
including, but not limited to, deregulation or restructuring of the
production and sale of electricity, as well as increased focus on
renewable energy sources. FPL Group and its subsidiaries will need to
adapt to these changes and may face increasing competitive pressure.
FPL Group's and FPL's results of operations could be affected by FPL's
ability to renegotiate franchise agreements with municipalities and
counties in Florida.
The operation and maintenance of transmission, distribution and power
generation facilities involve many risks, including, but not limited
to, start up risks, breakdown or failure of equipment, transmission
and distribution lines or pipelines, the inability to properly manage
or mitigate known equipment defects throughout FPL Group's and FPL's
generation fleets and transmission and distribution systems unless and
until such defects are remediated, use of new technology, the
dependence on a specific fuel source, including the supply and
transportation of fuel, or the impact of unusual or adverse weather
conditions (including, but not limited to, natural disasters such as
hurricanes and droughts), as well as the risk of performance below
expected or contracted levels of output or efficiency. This could
result in lost revenues and/or increased expenses, including, but not
limited to, the requirement to purchase power in the market at
potentially higher prices to meet contractual obligations. Insurance,
warranties or performance guarantees may not cover any or all of the
lost revenues or increased expenses, including, but not limited to,
the cost of replacement power. In addition to these risks, FPL Group's
and FPL's nuclear units face certain risks that are unique to the
nuclear industry including, but not limited to, the ability to store
and/or dispose of spent nuclear fuel and the potential payment of
significant retrospective insurance premiums, as well as additional
regulatory actions up to and including shutdown of the units stemming
from public safety concerns, whether at FPL Group's and FPL's plants,
or at the plants of other nuclear operators. Breakdown or failure of
an operating facility of FPL Energy may prevent the facility from
performing under applicable power sales agreements which, in certain
situations, could result in termination of the agreement or incurring
a liability for liquidated damages.
FPL Group's and FPL's ability to successfully and timely complete
their power generation facilities currently under construction, those
projects yet to begin construction or capital improvements to existing
facilities within established budgets is contingent upon many
variables, including, but not limited to, transmission interconnection
issues and escalating costs for materials, labor and environmental
compliance, and subject to substantial risks. Should any such efforts
be unsuccessful, FPL Group and FPL could be subject to additional
costs, termination payments under committed contracts, and/or the
write-off of their investment in the project or improvement.
FPL Group and FPL use derivative instruments, such as swaps, options
and forwards to manage their commodity and financial market risks. FPL
Group provides full energy and capacity requirements services
primarily to distribution utilities and engages in energy trading
activities. FPL Group could recognize financial losses as a result of
volatility in the market values of these derivative instruments, or if
a counterparty fails to perform. In the absence of actively quoted
market prices and pricing information from external sources, the
valuation of these derivative instruments involves management's
judgment or use of estimates. As a result, changes in the underlying
assumptions or use of alternative valuation methods could affect the
reported fair value of these derivative instruments. In addition,
FPL's use of such instruments could be subject to prudency challenges
and if found imprudent, cost recovery could be disallowed by the FPSC.
There are other risks associated with FPL Group's competitive energy
business. In addition to risks discussed elsewhere, risk factors
specifically affecting FPL Energy's success in competitive wholesale
markets include, but are not limited to, the ability to efficiently
develop and operate generating assets, the successful and timely
completion of project restructuring activities, maintenance of the
qualifying facility status of certain projects, the price and supply
of fuel (including transportation), transmission constraints,
competition from new sources of generation, excess generation capacity
and demand for power. There can be significant volatility in market
prices for fuel and electricity, and there are other financial,
counterparty and market risks that are beyond the control of FPL
Energy. FPL Energy's inability or failure to effectively hedge its
assets or positions against changes in commodity prices, interest
rates, counterparty credit risk or other risk measures could
significantly impair FPL Group's future financial results. In keeping
with industry trends, a portion of FPL Energy's power generation
facilities operate wholly or partially without long-term power
purchase agreements. As a result, power from these facilities is sold
on the spot market or on a short-term contractual basis, which may
affect the volatility of FPL Group's financial results. In addition,
FPL Energy's business depends upon transmission facilities owned and
operated by others; if transmission is disrupted or capacity is
inadequate or unavailable, FPL Energy's ability to sell and deliver
its wholesale power may be limited.
FPL Group and FPL rely on access to capital markets as a significant
source of liquidity for capital requirements not satisfied by
operating cash flows. The inability of FPL Group, FPL Group Capital
and FPL to maintain their current credit ratings, as well as
significant volatility in the financial markets, could affect their
ability to raise capital on favorable terms, which, in turn, could
impact FPL Group's and FPL's ability to grow their businesses and
would likely increase their interest costs.
FPL Group's and FPL's results of operations are affected by the growth
in customer accounts in FPL's service area. Customer growth can be
affected by population growth as well as economic factors in Florida,
including, but not limited, to job and income growth, housing starts
and new home prices. Customer growth directly influences the demand
for electricity and the need for additional power generation and power
delivery facilities at FPL.
FPL Group's and FPL's results of operations are affected by changes in
the weather. Weather conditions directly influence the demand for
electricity and natural gas, affect the price of energy commodities,
and can affect the production of electricity at power generating
facilities, including, but not limited to, wind, solar and
hydro-powered facilities. FPL Group's and FPL's results of operations
can be affected by the impact of severe weather which can be
destructive, causing outages and/or property damage, may affect fuel
supply, and could require additional costs to be incurred. At FPL,
recovery of these costs is subject to FPSC approval.
FPL Group and FPL are subject to costs and other effects of legal and
administrative proceedings, settlements, investigations and claims, as
well as the effect of new, or changes in, tax laws, rates or policies,
rates of inflation, accounting standards, securities laws and
corporate governance requirements.
FPL Group and FPL are subject to direct and indirect effects of
terrorist threats and activities, as well as cyber attacks and
disruptive activities of individuals and/or groups. Infrastructure
facilities and systems, including, but not limited to, generation,
transmission and distribution facilities, physical assets and
information systems, in general, have been identified as potential
targets. The effects of these threats and activities include, but are
not limited to, the inability to generate, purchase or transmit power,
the delay in development and construction of new generating
facilities, the risk of a significant slowdown in growth or a decline
in the U.S. economy, delay in economic recovery in the U.S., and the
increased cost and adequacy of security and insurance.
FPL Group's and FPL's ability to obtain insurance, and the cost of and
coverage provided by such insurance, could be affected by national,
state or local events as well as company-specific events.
FPL Group and FPL are subject to employee workforce factors,
including, but not limited to, loss or retirement of key executives,
availability of qualified personnel, inflationary pressures on payroll
and benefits costs, collective bargaining agreements with union
employees and work stoppage that could affect the businesses and
financial condition of FPL Group and FPL.
The risks described herein are not the only risks facing FPL Group and
FPL. Additional risks and uncertainties not currently known to FPL Group
or FPL, or that are currently deemed to be immaterial, also may
materially adversely affect FPL Group’s or FPL’s
business, financial condition and/or future operating results.
Any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which such
statement is made, and FPL Group and FPL undertake no obligation to
update any forward-looking statement to reflect events or circumstances,
including unanticipated events, after the date on which such statement
is made. New factors emerge from time to time and it is not possible for
management to predict all of such factors, nor can it assess the impact
of each such factor on the business or the extent to which any factor,
or combination of factors, may cause actual results to differ materially
from those contained in any forward-looking statement.
Note to Editors: High-resolution logos and executive head shots are
available for download at http://www.fpl.com/news/logos.shtml.
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