As the North Carolina Utilities Commission wrapped up hearings into Duke Energy's surprise ousting of CEO William D. "Bill" Johnson, a repair project at the troubled Crystal River nuclear powerplant remained at the heart of the boardroom shake-up. However, it was unclear whether state regulators would examine the matter further.
In testimony on July 19, Johnson alleged that Duke tried to scuttle the utility's merger with Progress Energy, of which he had been chairman and CEO. As part of the deal, Johnson, 58, was named CEO but was ousted earlier this month following the merger. He rebutted earlier testimony by Duke's new CEO, James Rogers, and utility director Ann Maynard Gray. Both claimed Johnson's "poor communication" of repairs and insurance issues at Progress Energy's Crystal River plant led to the board's action.