Question-and-Answer Session
[Operator Instructions]. Our first question comes from Dan Eggers with Credit Suisse.
DanielEggers - Credit Suisse
Hey, good morning.
William D. (Bill) Johnson - Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and President
Good morning Dan.
DanielEggers - Credit Suisse
First question, just on nuclear utilization. Are you guys having any issues or did you have any issues in 2007 with plant performance around some of the water issues we saw in the southeast?
William D. (Bill) Johnson - Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and President
No.
DanielEggers - Credit Suisse
No?
William D. (Bill) Johnson - Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and President
No.
DanielEggers - Credit Suisse
That's easy. Second question, can you give us an update on where the conservation programs are in the Carolinas, it seems like Duke is making a whole lot of progress on the Save-a-Watt program and kind of any increased or expanded opportunities there you're seeing?
Peter M. Scott III - Chief Financial Officer
As you know there was a senate bill that was passed in 2007 that covered renewables and conservation and load management and a few other things. We are in the process right now, working on the implementation rules with that... with the commission. And I suspect we'll have that completed frankly out in the next month or two months.
William D. (Bill) Johnson - Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and President
Yes.
Peter M. Scott III - Chief Financial Officer
Yes, so when we get that detail out, we'll be able to provide a little more color around the plans we've had and levels of investment and the programs that we'll be implementing.
DanielEggers - Credit Suisse
Okay. And just on the cost inflation side of the business, 4% to 5% forward growth expectations. Are you guys seeing rising CapEx obligation just on your daily distribution additions with higher commodity prices and is that showing up any kind of substantial changes in CapEx or investment needs?
Peter M. Scott III - Chief Financial Officer
It is. We are seeing, as everybody is seeing the commodity prices go up whether it's copper, conductor materials, construction materials, all those have had some fairly hefty increases. We're working hard on our supply chain management to try to overcome these increases with more economies in purchasing and we seem to be making pretty good progress on that. So we are... I don't want to say we are, we think that 4% to 5% is no brain or a lay down but we are working hard to make sure we maintain our cost to that level of growth.
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