Duke Energy honors six companies with 2019 Power Partner Award

CHARLOTTE, N.C., Aug. 23, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Six outstanding organizations have been chosen to receive Duke Energy's long-standing Power Partner award for 2019.

The Power Partner award program, which began in 1992, honors businesses and other organizations that achieve notable results in categories including solutions innovation, community excellence, economic development, sustainability innovation, storm restoration and renewable excellence. Each of the 2019 Power Partners will be recognized at individual award ceremonies later this year.

"The businesses and organizations selected for this award are truly outstanding," said Chris Edge, Duke Energy vice president of large business customers. "Each one is determined to serve customers and stakeholders in ways that benefit their companies and their communities, and delivers value to Duke Energy as well."

The 2019 Power Partner award-winning organizations include:

• Walmart Stores, multiple locations 
  Category: Solution Innovations, Enterprise  

Walmart worked with Duke Energy to create and support the North Carolina Green Source Advantage program, joining forces with Duke Energy and the Public Staff of the North Carolina Utilities Commission to craft a program that balances the interests of participating and non-participating customers, as well as the interests of the renewable power industry. Thanks to Walmart's engagement and expertise, the Green Source Advantage program helps participating members meet their sustainability goals, providing a structure to hedge costs while controlling the costs to non-participating customers.

• Cape Fear Community College, Wilmington, N.C. 
  Category: Storm Restoration

When Hurricane Florence struck Duke Energy's North Carolina coastal area last September, we knew we had a challenging restoration effort on our hands. Cape Fear Community College graciously allowed Duke Energy to establish a massive 2,500-person staging area on the college's north campus in Wilmington. With floodwaters impeding travel and gasoline shortages anticipated, a difficult restoration effort was made more manageable thanks to Duke Energy's valued relationship with Cape Fear Community College.

• Lake Wales Care Center, Lake Wales, Fla. 
  Category: Community Excellence

Duke Energy has always been proud of our culture of giving back to the communities we serve. But we need passionate, experienced businesses to help reach those most in need. Fortunately, Duke Energy and the Lake Wales Care Center work hand in hand to provide food, financial assistance, work camps and counseling services to its clients. In addition, Duke Energy relies on Lake Wales Care Center to distribute our Good Neighbors Fund. Duke Energy also helps by delivering holiday food baskets through our volunteer network.

• First Quality Tissue, Anderson, S.C. 
  Category: Economic Development

Redeveloping brownfield sites can present real challenges, so when First Quality Tissue decided in 2010 to locate in an old BASF nylon factory in Anderson, S.C., the community watched closely. Fortunately, it was not disappointed. First Quality Tissue, a provider of paper toilet tissue and paper towels, has been constantly expanding its facilities at the site ever since. Starting with a single paper line in 2010, First Quality Tissue leveraged Duke Energy's economic development incentives as it added three more paper lines, becoming a significant employer in the community along the way.

• Bon Secours, St. Petersburg, Fla. 
  Category: Solution Innovation, Mid-Market

When Bon Secours had to comply with new state legislation requiring nursing homes and assisted living facilities to have backup generation, it turned to Duke Energy for assistance. Duke Energy provided a backup generator at the Bon Secours Plant facility complete with transfer switch capabilities. In addition, Duke Energy provided permanent transfer switches to interface with mobile backup generators as satellite locations used under an evacuation situation. Bon Secours Maria Manor facility also participates in the standby generation program, which provides a monthly credit on electric bills for helping Duke Energy during system disturbances.

• Hunt Southern, Shaw Air Force Base, Sumter, S.C. 
  Category: Renewable Excellence

Hunt Southern Company, a Hunt military community, recently built 284 homes at Shaw Air Force Base in Sumter, S.C., for military members and their families. In collaboration with Duke Energy, Hunt Southern installed solar panels on these homes, generating 1,350 kilowatts and helping to reduce utility bills for the project. Duke Energy performed extensive feeder studies to ensure that the solar panels integrated well into our system. The project was enabled by a Duke Energy rebate of over $1 million.

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.

Contact: Lew Middleton 
Office: 317.838.1505 | 24-hour: 800.559.3853

SOURCE Duke Energy

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