We should be building more nuclear today.
— Lynn Good
When you are in a situation or a crisis, you need to define, what is the unique role that I can play?
I'll be the first one to tell you I burn coal... That fossil generation and the nuclear generation, frankly, is necessary in order for me to provide power.
I love nuclear.
What we are investing in, from a generation standpoint, are renewables and natural gas.
Volatility is not something that is a great fit for Duke if you look at the level of dividend we pay.
More than 40 percent of the electricity we generated in the Carolinas in 2015 was from carbon-free sources.
I find, at times, people underestimate me. That's really an asset.
I am honored to be named chairman of Duke Energy's board and privileged to lead our company forward for our customers, employees, and shareholders.
The enthusiasm around carbon capture and sequestration was probably greater before the shale-gas discovery and the low prices were so prevalent.
If we just isolate distributed solar all by itself, it does not work without the utility around it. And so the utility needs to be paid for the services it provides.
We don't believe carbon capture is a proven, scalable, commercially available technology.
All options to produce, transmit, and store electricity should be considered, driven by clear price signals and constructive government policy.
Anytime we make additional investment in a coal plant, we are really challenging whether that investment is economic.
I don't believe you can absolutely have it all.
I become the face of the company, and that's a responsibility.
As you think about developing people through their careers, you're looking for that transition from being the smartest person in the room - and caring so much about that - to being the most effective.
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.
You were in the midst of a chaotic, unfair, didn't-know-how-it-was-going-to-end story, and the only thing you could do was... keep moving.
I respect passionate views.
It's important to keep your long term perspective and communicate well both externally and internally.
Building new nuclear is something that is going to take a lot of commitment, not only from our company but from the communities we serve. It is a five-to-seven-year journey to build one, and they are expensive.
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.
Our customers are at the center of everything we do.
I will work to ensure Duke Energy is positioned to continue its track record of outstanding customer service and operational and financial excellence.
We see natural gas as an important part of the electricity generation mix for many decades to come.
You move an organization when they understand where you want them to go.
There are no coal plants on the drawing board for Duke, which leaves us with gas, renewables, and nuclear.
Our nation's power plant fleet must include a mix of solar, wind, hydro, natural gas and nuclear plants.
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 hope nuclear becomes a part of the conversation, at the right time when we recognize the importance of that resource. I hope we can work that out as a country and figure out how we are going to put nuclear in the mix.
There weren't many women ahead of me.
People who love what they do get after it every day.
At a certain career level, it's no longer about whether you are the smartest subject-matter expert in the room.
Leadership is a journey - you never arrive.
If you can, anticipate that life is going to be full of detours.
If we're going to be serious about decarbonizing the bulk-power system, nuclear has to be part of the conversation.
When you're in a crisis, there's really no playbook.
I believe that nuclear needs to be a part of the solution if the U.S. really wants to be aggressive about reducing carbon.
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.
If you keep an open mind, you can learn so much from the people around you.
I am deeply honored by the trust the board has placed in me to lead Duke Energy. I have a high degree of confidence in the strength of our company's leadership and dedicated employees.
Natural gas is an important part of delivering energy, whether you're producing power or other solutions for customers.
Leaders play a unique role in periods of crisis and chaos. Because if you don't, you're not going to harness the power of all the people behind you.
I don't see any new coal.
Reliable and competitively priced electricity is fundamental to growing our economy and creating jobs. Our customers expect nothing less.
The regulations keep on coming. And we are trying to make decisions that we will be happy with for decades.
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.
Effectiveness comes from those qualitative things that give you the ability to network, communicate, and lead people toward an outcome they can't see.
