TODAY. JOSHUA. THE PRESIDENT OF DUKE ENERGY’S NORTH CAROLINA OPERATION SAID THE COMPANY DEEPLY REGRETS THE HARDSHIP THEY CAUSED CUSTOMERS AND SAID THE COMPANY IS WORKING TO AVOID INSTITUTING ROLLING BLACKOUTS AGAIN. WE MADE THE ONLY DECISION THAT WE COULD, FOR THE FIRST TIME IN OUR COMPANY’S HISTORY, WE BEGAN ROLLING SERVICE DISRUPTIONS. DUKE ENERGY LEADERSHIP APPEARED BEFORE THE N.C. UTILITIES COMMISSION TUESDAY TO EXPLAIN WHY SO MANY CUSTOMERS WENT WITHOUT POWER ON CHRISTMAS EVE. THEY SAY MULTIPLE FACTORS LIKE WEATHER AND MALFUNCTIONING EQUIPMENT IMPACTED HOW MUCH POWER WAS AVAILABLE AND EXCEEDED HOW MUCH POWER THEY EXPECTED TO PROVIDE. THEY SAID DETERIORATING CONDITIONS CAUSED COMMUNICATION ISSUES, BUT THEY DIDN’T EXPLAIN WHAT THOSE WERE AND MADE THE PROCESS OF RESTORING POWER MUCH SLOWER. RESTORATION TIMES WERE SLOWER THAN WE ANTICIPATED AS A RESULT OF A TECHNOLOGY ISSUE INVOLVING OUR LOAD REDUCTION SHEDDING TOOL. AND ALTHOUGH WE PROVIDED CUSTOMERS WITH INFORMATION ALONG THE WAY, IT WAS NOT AS ACCURATE AS WHAT OUR CUSTOMERS ARE ACCUSTOMED TO. DUKE ENERGY SAYS THROUGH A COMBINATION OF PURCHASING POWER FROM OUT OF THE STATE, ADDING NEW GENERATING RESOURCES AND INCREASING THEIR FORECASTS OF POWER USAGE, THEY WERE ABLE TO RESTORE POWER TO CUSTOMERS BEFORE CHRISTMAS DAY. AND THEY THANKED CUSTOMERS. MANY OF WHOM THEY ASK TO CONSERVE ENERGY. WE ARE DEEPLY SORRY THAT ANY OF OUR CUSTOMERS HOLIDAY WAS DISRUPTED. WE’RE GOING TO CONTINUE TO LEARN FROM THIS AND WILL USE THAT KNOWLEDGE TO IMPROVE WHEREVER WE CAN. DUKE ENERGY SAYS THEY’VE LAUNCHED INTERNAL REVIEWS OF THEIR PROCEDURES AND THEY PLAN TO LOOK TO OTHER PROVIDERS AND HOW THEY RESPONDED TO LEARN NEW PRACTICES FOR THE FUTURE.