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Duke Energy Contributes $50,000 to The Nature Conservancy

Posted on: Wednesday, 29 November 2006, 09:00 CST

HOUSTON, Nov. 29 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Duke Energy International (DEI), through the Duke Energy Foundation, has announced a contribution of $50,000 to The Nature Conservancy to help protect biodiversity in Peru.

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

DEI's support of The Nature Conservancy will help enhance biodiversity throughout the country and stem possible species loss. The country's biological riches and diversity, particularly its natural areas, are in need of enhanced protection. The Nature Conservancy, under an agreement with the government of Peru, is assisting in efforts to strengthen the country's national system of protected areas through various training and monitoring programs. Protected areas make up nearly 13 percent of Peru's land mass and they are considered a critical component of Peru's national plan on biodiversity protection.

"Our company has a long history of commitment to environmental stewardship, and we have been a supporter of The Nature Conservancy for many years," said Richard K. McGee, president of DEI. "This is our first international endeavor with The Nature Conservancy and we are looking forward to joining the Peruvian government's initiative to protect such a significant part of its rich natural resources."

The grant from Duke Energy will help with The Nature Conservancy's work to assist the Peruvian government in assessing biodiversity in and around its national protected areas, and design and implement adequate training programs for park guards that better ensure the viability and protection of these areas. A work plan has been approved to carry out priority activities; the project will start in December and will continue through 2008.

Eduardo Durand, the Conservancy's Peru country representative, commented "This is a great opportunity for The Nature Conservancy and Duke to enhance conservation activities in Peru. This project will make a real on-the-ground difference contributing to national plans to train park guards and helping to increase conservation awareness in local communities through outreach initiatives."

Duke Energy International owns and operates power generation facilities, and engages in the sale and marketing of electric power and natural gas. Its primary focus is on power generation activities in Latin America. In Peru, DEI has more than 600 megawatts of installed capacity.

Duke Energy is a diversified energy company with a portfolio of natural gas and electric businesses, both regulated and unregulated, and an affiliated real estate company. Duke Energy supplies, delivers and processes energy for customers in the Americas. 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/.

The Nature Conservancy is a leading international, nonprofit organization that preserves plants, animals and natural communities representing the diversity of life on Earth by protecting the lands and waters they need to survive. 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. The Nature Conservancy has more than 400 offices around the world and has been working in Peru since 1983 with both private and public partners. Visit us on the Web at nature.org/peru or nature.org/espanol/peru

CONTACT: Kate Perez Phone: 713/627-6527 24-Hour: 704/382-8333

Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20040414/DUKEENERGYLOGOAP Archive: http://photoarchive.ap.org/PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com

Duke Energy

CONTACT: Kate Perez of Duke Energy, +1-713-627-6527, or 24-Hour,+1-704-382-8333

Web site: http://www.duke-energy.com/http://www.nature.org/peruhttp://www.nature.org/espanol/peru

Company News On-Call: http://www.prnewswire.com/comp/257451.html

Source: PRNewswire-FirstCall

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