JUNO BEACH, Fla. – FPL Group, Inc. (NYSE: FPL) was named Power Company of the Year at the Platts 2009 Global Energy Awards last night.
The recognition honors FPL Group as the leading power company in the world for 2009. The award was presented at a ceremony in New York City attended by more than 500 energy executives from around the world. Platts, the leading global provider of information on the energy industry, receives more than 200 nominations for its annual awards program. Nominations have come from more than 30 countries. FPL Group was selected as Power Company of the Year from among six finalists.
“It’s a tribute to FPL Group’s 15,000 employees that we were chosen as Power Company of the Year. Thanks to our talented and dedicated team, we have North America’s No.1 renewable energy provider, a utility that combines high reliability and the lowest bills in the state, and an enviable environmental profile that positions us well for the future,” said FPL Group Chairman and CEO Lew Hay.
Judges for the Platts awards have included former OPEC energy ministers, national regulators, former heads of major energy companies and leading academics and legislators. Nominees for Power Company of the Year are evaluated based on their ability to develop and implement a strategic plan that “optimizes performance and growth while taking an aggressive, proactive approach toward a radically altered business and trading environment.” The specific judging criteria are financial results, operational excellence, innovation, and strategic vision.
FPL Group was also a finalist at the 2009 Global Energy Awards in the following categories:
• Green Energy Initiative of the Year, for the company’s EarthEra Renewable Energy Trust, an innovative way for businesses and consumers to make a difference in the fight against climate change with confidence that every penny they spend is going directly to the construction of new wind and solar energy projects.
• Energy Construction Project of the Year, for the company’s DeSoto Next Generation Solar Energy Center, the nation’s largest photovoltaic solar power plant, which President Barack Obama helped commission in DeSoto County, Fla., in October.
• CEO of the Year, for Lew Hay’s leadership in building one of the world’s premier electric power companies.
FPL Group has received a number of other notable awards in 2009. The company was ranked No. 1 in its industry for the third year in a row in Fortune magazine’s Most Admired Companies survey and was named to the Dow Jones Sustainability Index, the Carbon Disclosure Leadership Index, and the list of the Global 100 Most Sustainable Large Corporations.
Platts is a division of The McGraw-Hill Companies, a leading global information provider, and sister to such brands as Standard & Poor’s, J.D. Power & Associates, Aviation Week, and McGraw-Hill Construction.
FPL Group: Energy Solutions for the Next Era
FPL Group, Inc. (NYSE: FPL) is a leading clean energy company with 2008 revenues of more than $16 billion, approximately 39,000 megawatts of generating capacity, and more than 15,000 employees in 27 states and Canada. Headquartered in Juno Beach, Fla., FPL Group’s principal subsidiaries are NextEra Energy Resources, LLC, the largest generator in North America of renewable energy from the wind and sun, and Florida Power & Light Company, which serves 4.5 million customer accounts in Florida and is one of the largest rate-regulated electric utilities in the country. Through its subsidiaries, FPL Group collectively operates the third largest U.S. nuclear power generation fleet. For more information about FPL Group companies, visit these Web sites: www.FPLGroup.com, www.NextEraEnergyResources.com, www.FPL.com.