If I were to share with you the number of attacks that come into the Duke network every day, you would be astounded. And it's not from people working out of their garage; it's from nation-states that are trying to penetrate systems.
If we are not more efficient, we put ourselves in a position where prices need to rise or profits deteriorate in a way that makes us less attractive to investors.
If you can, anticipate that life is going to be full of detours.
If you feel like there is going to be an emotional reaction that won't be helpful to resolve the situation, anger or other things, disarm the situation in some way, and you can use different techniques to do that.
An investor in Duke Energy is expecting a dividend payment. That's roughly 70 to 75 percent of the earnings I produce. The business that goes with that level of dividend is a business that has more predictability, more stability.
Volatility is not something that is a great fit for Duke if you look at the level of dividend we pay.
Nuclear is an important part of the heritage of Duke. We operate the largest regulated nuclear fleet in the U.S. We love the diversity of the generation.
Our nation's power plant fleet must include a mix of solar, wind, hydro, natural gas and nuclear plants.
Fracking has been a real technological change that has caused great innovation in our business, and we've had the benefit of very low gas prices for our customers as a result of that.
Over the long term, we should develop and implement new technologies to capture and store coal's carbon emissions. We also must make our electric grid more resilient.
I went to work in accounting at Arthur Andersen. At one point, it was the creme de la creme. I wanted to work there because it looked like the hardest thing I could find, and I loved being on a steep learning curve. I progressed quickly, and two years out of college, I was managing a small team of people.
There's nothing about Lynn Good at age 30 or age 35 that would have said, 'I am setting my sights on being a CEO.'
I actually had someone say to me, 'Lynn, you're going to have very good days, and you're going to have very bad days. But It's rare that things are as good as they look, and it's rare that things are as bad as they seem.' So having perspective, and challenging perspective, is important to making good decisions.
I don't see a sea change by 2020, but I see migration in the direction of modernization and more flexibility in the generating system going forward.
As we look ahead, we see increasing opportunities for Duke in natural gas - not just for producing electricity, but in providing gas for our customers. We have been investing in renewables as well throughout the U.S.
I will work to ensure Duke Energy is positioned to continue its track record of outstanding customer service and operational and financial excellence.
Through Duke Energy's strong balance sheet and electric generation expertise, and Piedmont's understanding of natural gas markets and proficient operations, the combined company will be well-positioned for a future that may require additional natural gas infrastructure and services to meet the needs of our customers.
Effectiveness comes from those qualitative things that give you the ability to network, communicate, and lead people toward an outcome they can't see.
As we continue to move to a lower-carbon future, we will also continue to work constructively with states to identify customer solutions that preserve the reliability and affordability that our communities expect.
There are no coal plants on the drawing board for Duke, which leaves us with gas, renewables, and nuclear.
