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Public Release of Information Duke Energy's Code of Business Ethics

Unauthorized and inappropriate releases of information to the public can result in violation of full disclosure laws, stakeholder confusion, and damage to Duke Energy's competitive position, brand and reputation. Only authorized spokespersons should provide information about Duke Energy.

There are also very specific rules regarding the reporting of information to government agencies or elected officials. Only authorized spokepersons should handle requests for information from public agencies or individuals. However, all employees are expected to cooperate fully and truthfully with regulatory and governmental investigations and proceedings, and not obstruct other employees from doing so.

Our Responsibilities

Duke Energy employees must:

  • Forward requests for information to the appropriate department below, if communicating outside of Duke Energy is not part of your assigned responsibilities:
    Source Refer to
    Financial community Investor Relations
    News or trade media Corporate Communications
    Regulatory agencies Law Department
    Elected officials Governmental Affairs
    Person seeking information about a current or former Duke Energy employee Human Resources
  • Inform your supervisor immediately about any request from a government agency or individual that is outside the scope of your routine job responsibilities.
  • Report any violations of law or this Code that may warrant disclosure to appropriate government authorities.
  • If your personal cooperation has been requested (such as by subpoena), cooperate fully and truthfully with regulatory and governmental investigations. Failure to cooperate will result in corrective action up to and including employment termination.

In addition, Duke Energy employees planning to provide information about Duke Energy to public audiences through speeches, presentations, interviews, panel discussions, articles, papers, surveys, public internet forums such as message boards and blogs, and the like must:

  • Obtain management approval before proceeding with public communications that claim or appear to be on behalf of Duke Energy.
  • Provide adequate advance notice to the appropriate communications staff when planning to speak as a representative of Duke Energy in order to receive proper advice from them regarding the opportunity. Included are situations where employees are speaking on behalf of an industry taskforce or committee.
  • Refrain from offering opinions or answering questions beyond area of expertise.

Duke Energy employees must not:

  • Disclose personal or confidential information regarding current employees, former employees or customers.
  • Make disparaging comments about Duke Energy, current or former Duke Energy employees, or customers.
  • Knowingly, willfully, or intentionally, disclose to any person not employed by the company any confidential business strategy or commodity position, or important nonpublic information, such as earnings warnings, to the financial community, before disclosing the information to the general public, except when compelled by an outside government or oversight body, or with approval from a group executive