Duke Energy
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Duke Energy Corporation | |
| Type | public |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1904 |
| Headquarters | Charlotte, NC |
| Key people | James Buchanan Duke Benjamin Newton Duke |
| Industry | Energy services |
| Website | Duke Energy |
Duke Energy NYSE: DUK, headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, is an energy company with assets in the United States (primarily North and South Carolina), Canada and Latin America.
The company began in 1904 when James Buchanan Duke established the Catawba Power Company. The following year he and his brother Benjamin Newton Duke founded the Southern Power Company, which became known as Duke Power. In 1988, Nantahala Power & Light Co., which served southwestern North Carolina, was purchased by Duke and is now operated under the Duke Power - Nantahala Area brand. Duke Power merged with PanEnergy in 1997 to form Duke Energy. The Duke Power name continued as the electric utility business of Duke Energy until the Cinergy merger.
With the purchase of Cinergy Corporation announced in 2005 and completed on April 3, 2006, Duke Energy Corporation's customer base now includes the Midwestern United States as well. The company operates nuclear power plants, coal-fired plants, conventional hydroelectric plants, natural-gas turbines to handle peak demand, and pumped hydro storage. Duke Energy also owns Chatham, Ontario-based Union Gas, which is regulated under the Ontario Energy Board Act (1998).
Duke Power constructed Lake Norman, north of Charlotte, to aid its hydro- and nuclear electrical production capabilities.
[edit] See also
- Catawba Nuclear Generating Station
- McGuire Nuclear Generating Station
- Oconee Nuclear Generating Station
