Eleven Duke Energy Employees Honored with James B. Duke Award

CHARLOTTE, N.C., March 30 /PRNewswire/ -- Eleven Duke Energy (NYSE: DUK)
employees were honored today with the company's James B. Duke Award - the
company's highest employee award for service to the company and community.

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20040414/DUKEENERGYLOGO )

Honored were:

-- Steve Jester of Charlotte, vice president, Hydro Strategy, Licensing
and
Lake Services
-- Jim Mehring of Cincinnati, vice president, Midwest Field Operations
-- Larry Roark of Knox County, Ind., general manager, Edwardsport Station
-- Paul Smith of Cincinnati, vice president, rates - Ohio and Kentucky
-- Sally Whitney of Charlotte, senior vice president, Finance Program
Office and Finance IT
-- Kris Knudsen of Charlotte, principal environmental specialist
-- Harry Lancaster of Charlotte, project director
-- Garry Rice of Charlotte, associate general counsel
-- Randy Rafferty of Arthur, Ill., production operations engineer
-- Joe Hoult of Tuscola, Ill. production operations engineer

-- Larry Edwards of Tuscola, Ill., production operations engineer

The award is named for James B. Duke (1856-1925), the noted tobacco and
electric power industrialist and the namesake of Duke Energy. In its third
year, the award recognizes employees for the most significant achievements
supporting the company's goals and values.

The James B. Duke Award continues the company's long tradition of recognizing
leadership and service in the community and the workplace. Winners are
nominated and selected by their peers. Here is a brief summary of the
employees' accomplishments:

Steve Jester led and negotiated a number of agreements associated with the
Catawba-Wateree Relicensing Agreement - crafting winning outcomes for the
agreement's many stakeholders and securing properties strategic to Duke
Energy.

Jim Mehring led the company's power restoration effort after the remnants of
Hurricane Ike slammed the company's Midwest territory in September 2008 -
affecting more than 1 million customers.

Larry Roark led employees and others at the Edwardsport Station in Knox
County, Ind., in building a levee at the plant during a severe June 2008
flood. The effort helped the plant avoid major water damage, which may have
led to it being shut down.

Paul Smith was instrumental in developing and negotiating the approval of the
company's Electric Security Plan in Ohio - a roadmap for electric supply and
programs in the state.

Sally Whitney led the company's financial re-engineering program, a multi-year
effort that revamped the company's financial systems and processes.

Kris Knudsen, Harry Lancaster and Garry Rice teamed to present a successful
case to the North Carolina Division of Air Quality in its determination that
the new coal-fired unit at Cliffside Steam Station would be a minor source of
hazardous air pollutants.

Larry Edwards, Joe Hoult and Randy Rafferty teamed to save the life of a
stricken employee in January 2008 at the Duke-operated facility in Tuscola,
Ill.

Duke Energy is the third largest electric power holding company in the United
States, based on kilowatt-hour sales. Its regulated utility operations serve
approximately 4 million customers located in five states - North Carolina,
South Carolina, Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky - representing a population of
approximately 11 million people. Duke Energy's commercial power and
international business segments 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 500 company traded
on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol DUK. More information about
the company is available on the Internet at: www.duke-energy.com.

CONTACT: 24-Hour, +1-704-382-8333

SOURCE Duke Energy

Duke Energy, 24-Hour, +1-704-382-8333