NEW ORLEANS, Sept. 24, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Understanding the impact of climate change and taking action to manage related risks have earned Entergy Corporation (NYSE: ETR) recognition by CDP S&P 500 Climate Performance Leadership Index. CDP, formerly known as the Carbon Disclosure Project, is an international, not-for-profit organization providing the only global system for companies and cities to measure, disclose, manage and share vital environmental information. Entergy is the only utility added to the performance index this year.
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The announcement was made from the trading floor of the New York Stock Exchange as part of Climate Week NYC, a global summit for government, business and thought leaders focused on driving the transition to a low carbon economy. Entergy was also named to the CDP S&P 500 Climate Disclosure Leadership Index. The disclosure index highlights companies with a strong approach to providing information on climate change. Only the top 10 percent of companies assessed are included on the index, with 53 companies making this year's list. This is the ninth time in 10 years Entergy has been included on the disclosure index.
Investors and other decision makers use these lists to assess corporate preparedness for changing market demands and emissions regulation.
Entergy's actions to address climate change are featured in a special section in CDP's 2013 S&P 500 climate change report, "Investment, transformation and leadership." The report finds:
- U.S. companies are investing more than 4 percent of annual capital expenditures in emissions reductions.
- Greenhouse gas emissions dropped 6.1 percent in 2012.
- Companies are realizing savings by investing in emissions reductions, including product design innovations ($1.2 billion), energy efficiency processes ($991 million) and changes to transportation fleet and use ($709 million).
"Entergy has responded to the CDP questionnaire every year since its inception," said Rod West, Entergy's executive vice president and chief administrative officer. "This process is extremely valuable to us as it requires us to review our strategy, assess our risks and measure our progress managing those risks on an annual basis. The program provides us a benchmark on how well we are doing and helps us prepare for operating in a carbon-constrained world."
Paul Simpson, chief executive officer of CDP, said, "U.S. companies that score highly enough to be included in the Climate Disclosure Leadership Index are responding to the call for greater corporate climate accountability. They have demonstrated leading practices on the measurement of greenhouse gas emissions and energy use and transparency of their climate change strategy."
Entergy Corporation, which celebrates its 100th birthday this year, is an integrated energy company engaged primarily in electric power production and retail distribution operations. Entergy owns and operates power plants with approximately 30,000 megawatts of electric generating capacity, including more than 10,000 megawatts of nuclear power, making it one of the nation's leading nuclear generators. Entergy delivers electricity to 2.8 million utility customers in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. Entergy has annual revenues of more than $10 billion and approximately 15,000 employees.
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