EEI Announces Finalists for Industry's most Prestigious Honor, the 'Edison Award'

Washington, DC () - In recognition of their innovation and industry leadership, the Edison Electric Institute (EEI) has named Duke Power Company, Progress Energy and Xcel Energy as finalists for the utility industry’s highest honor, the “Edison Award.”

Given annually by EEI, the prestigious award honors U.S. shareholder-owned and international members for outstanding contributions to and advancement of the industry. ENMAX Energy Corp. and the Korea Electric Power Co. were named finalists for the international Edison Award. A committee of national industry trade publication editors and a panel of past and current EEI chairmen select the finalists and ultimate winners. This year's award, the 78th, will be announced June 20 at EEI's annual convention here in Washington.

Announcing the finalists, EEI President Tom Kuhn said: “These industry leaders have set themselves apart by anticipating the changing marketplace and charting a bold course to confront and overcome any challenges. They are symbols of the innovative mindset that forms the foundation of our industry.”

During 2005, Charlotte-based Duke Power focused on building a sustainable business platform, emphasizing customer excellence, community leadership and environmental stewardship as the company enters its second century. In particular, Duke set a goal to achieve consistent, superior performance in customer satisfaction. It then obtained impressive results by instituting an innovative “I Can HelpSM” program, training more than 15,000 employees, contractors, and retirees, providing tools to help these individuals take ownership, follow through, and do it right the first time. The company also undertook a positive and collaborative effort to build relationships while relicensing hydroelectric facilities and operating in an environmentally responsible way.

In 2005, Raleigh-based Progress Energy demonstrated a relentless pursuit of excellence in operations and customer service. The company demonstrated outstanding operation of its nuclear and fossil-fueled power plants, showing leadership in obtaining exceptional performance, availability, and cost efficiency. Progress also showed marked improvements in electric distribution reliability through advanced maintenance and metering.

In addition, the company provided a sustained commitment to award-winning customer satisfaction. Progress Energy’s focus on operations and customer service became a rallying point for the company’s employees, resulting in an extraordinary year.

Minneapolis-based Xcel Energy in 2005 developed a first-of-its-kind program, Utility Innovations, a partnership designed to leverage the cutting-edge developments of leading technology providers by deploying new products more quickly, which fundamentally improved the participants’ working relationships. In the spirit of collaboration, Xcel Energy and the partners agreed to share intellectual property and project development that was conducted in an open and transparent process.  Utility Innovations created value for the company, its employees, partners, customers and the utility industry by engaging the minds and efforts of many, rather than relying on a business-as-usual approach of attempting to find new solutions on its own.

In 2005, ENMAX Energy Corp. launched a revolutionary new product into Alberta’s deregulated electricity markets that helped jump-start the competitive marketplace by simplifying the process of choosing an energy provider. Customers in the Canadian province had been frustrated by confusing, unattractive long-term contracts and heavy switching fees. In response, ENMAX created EasyMax, a simple, easy-to-understand sales agreement that guaranteed savings and competitive rates.

The Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO) showed technical excellence in 2005 through several projects. First, KEPCO built the new 345 kV Yonghung Transmission Lines over the sea from Yonghung island to Seoul. Construction featured several technical innovations and a much longer distance between towers. The company also finished a 30-year project to upgrade the country’s secondary distribution voltage from 110 to 220 volts, which significantly bolstered power delivery capability. The company also established a state-of-the-art “New Customer and Distribution Information System,” based on GIS data, which has greatly facilitated customer data record-keeping and customer satisfaction.

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The Edison Electric Institute (EEI) is the association of U.S. shareholder-owned electric companies. Our members serve 95 percent of the ultimate customers in the shareholder-owned segment of the industry, and represent approximately 70 percent of the U.S. electric power industry. We also have more than 65 International electric companies as Affiliate members, and more than 170 industry suppliers and related organizations as Associate members.