Lynn Good

Duke Energy is the largest electric utility in the United States by customer count, providing electricity to 8.4 million customers and natural gas to 1.6 million customers across six states — the Carolinas (the largest market), Florida, Indiana, Ohio, and Kentucky. The company's regulated utility operations generate predictable cash flows underpinned by constructive regulatory relationships. Duke's massive capital investment plan — exceeding $65 billion — is focused on grid modernization (hardening infrastructure against hurricanes and severe weather, upgrading transmission systems, deploying smart grid technology), clean energy transition (retiring coal plants and replacing them with solar, wind, battery storage, and natural gas), and load growth investment (data centers and electrification are driving unprecedented electricity demand growth in the Carolinas). The Carolinas in particular are experiencing a boom in data center development and manufacturing reshoring, creating electricity demand growth that Duke has not seen in decades. Duke's nuclear fleet (11 reactors in the Carolinas) provides zero-carbon baseload generation that is increasingly valued as clean firm power. Key stock drivers include regulatory outcomes in North and South Carolina, Florida, and Indiana, capital expenditure execution and rate base growth, load growth from data centers and manufacturing, storm costs and grid resilience, nuclear fleet performance, interest rate environment, and dividend growth trajectory.