RALEIGH, N.C. (May 19, 2009) -- The Progress Energy Foundation will invest more than $600,000 in the Carolinas this year to support energy education and workforce development in public schools.

"Our company has a proud history of supporting our communities, and we know the importance of education in improving the quality of life and creating long-term economic vitality in the communities we serve," said Lloyd Yates, president and CEO of Progress Energy Carolinas. "Our investments focus on expanding student and teacher knowledge about energy issues, including alternative energy, energy efficiency and state-of-the-art plants. In addition, we support programs that encourage students to graduate from high school to help ensure there is an adequate workforce available for the states where we provide service."

The following organizations and programs in North Carolina and South Carolina will receive grants in 2009:

K-12 schools-- The company's primary vehicle for supporting K-12 public schools is education foundations. Grants to local education foundations in Buncombe, Craven, Cumberland and Wake counties in North Carolina, as well as Florence County, S.C., fund energy education classroom projects.

Solar Schools Program-- Progress Energy is proud to partner with the Carolina Hurricanes' Kids 'N Community Foundation to give middle school students and faculty a unique, hands-on opportunity to learn more about solar energy. Five winning schools will receive a 2-kilowatt solar photovoltaic system on their campus.

North Carolina New Schools Project-- This grant supports planning activities for the development of a sustainable energy curriculum for North Carolina New Schools Project (NCNSP) STEM high schools.

Futures For Kids(F4K)-- Progress Energy is partnering with F4K to address workforce development needs in our communities. F4K uses technology to connect students with businesses in their communities and across the state to provide relevance and motivation for completing high school.

DonorsChoose-- Funding from Progress Energy encourages teachers to integrate energy education lessons into their curricula and provides the resources necessary to do so in a compelling way. Teachers can submit their ideas for energy education projects on DonorsChoose.org.

North Carolina Agricultural Foundation 4-H-- Progress Energy's support of the North Carolina 4-H Electric Program enables more than 69,000 young people to participate in electric and energy conservation programs in their communities.

South Carolina Governor's School for Science and Mathematics-- This grant provides seed money for new academic programming in energy studies, expands scholarship resources for students studying in these areas, and sustains outreach programs that benefit middle and high school students in the Pee Dee region of South Carolina.

Teach for America-- Funding from Progress Energy provides operating support to allow Teach for America to continue offering services in Eastern North Carolina and to expand their field of teachers. These teachers have been successful in helping to attain significant gains in student achievement in rural and inner-city schools.

Communities in Schools of Wake County (CIS Wake) and Communities in Schools of North Carolina (CISNC)-- Progress Energy funds will be used to maintain and improve Communities in Schools of Wake County's (CIS Wake) after-school tutorial program. The company is also continuing its support for CISNC to help build new CIS programs in Progress Energy communities.

Supporting education is one part of Progress Energy's investment in nonprofit partners in North Carolina, South Carolina and Florida. The company's grants also focus on the environment, economic development and employee involvement. During 2008, Progress Energy invested more than $11 million in the communities it serves. The Progress Energy Foundation is funded each year by the company's board of directors from shareholder funds.

Progress Energy (NYSE: PGN), headquartered in Raleigh, N.C., is a Fortune 500 energy company with more than 21,000 megawatts of generation capacity and $9 billion in annual revenues. Progress Energy includes two major electric utilities that serve approximately 3.1 million customers in the Carolinas and Florida. The company has earned the Edison Electric Institute's Edison Award, the industry's highest honor, in recognition of its operational excellence, and was the first utility to receive the prestigious J.D. Power and Associates Founder's Award for customer service. The company is pursuing a balanced strategy for a secure energy future, which includes aggressive energy-efficiency programs, investments in renewable energy technologies and a state-of-the-art electricity system. Progress Energy celebrated a century of service in 2008. Visit the company's Web site at www.progress-energy.com.

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