Entergy 2007 Annual Report Download - page 4

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Entergy Corporation and Subsidiaries 2007
re we having fun yet? To most people winning is fun. As they
say, it beats losing.
From the theme of this year’s report, you could properly conclude
that we are having fun, and not because we have actually won
anything. In part, we are having fun because we are “winning” on
things that not only make a dierence today, but also on things that
set the foundation for the future of this company. We are winning
in battles that we have been ghting for a long time; winning on
things that matter to each of you, such as:
n฀ Delivering the highest total shareholder return in
our industry, 414.3 percent from Dec. 31, 1998 to
Dec. 31, 2007 compared to 134.1 percent for the
Philadelphia Utility Index over the same period. In
2007, we delivered total shareholder return of 32.5
percent, once again ranking in the top quartile of our
peer group.
n฀ Creating the safest possible work environment as
evidenced by lowering our Lost Work Day Incident
Rate to 0.22 in 2007, our best year ever, from 1.08
in 1998. While this is still short of our goal, an
accident-free work environment, clearly we can see
measurable progress every year.
n฀ Keeping the prices our customers pay as low as
practical. Our residential utility customers have
essentially seen no increase in base rates for nine
years. Average residential base rates in 1998 were
4.90 cents per kWh compared to 4.97 cents per kWh in 2007.
When adjusted for ination, our customers experienced a real
decrease in base rates over the past nine-year period.
n฀ Providing the best possible service when it matters most. Obviously,
in 2005 with hurricanes Katrina and Rita we proved we could
write the book on emergency response. But that was no surprise.
We have received the Edison Electric Institute Emergency Storm
Response Award or Emergency Assistance Award every year
for 10 consecutive years, the only company to be honored each
year since the awards were created. For 2007, we received the
EEI Emergency Assistance Award for the work of our dedicated
employees in helping to restore power in Oklahoma following
an ice storm.
n฀ Investing in people. We have provided $35 million in grants
since we began our low-income customer assistance initiative
in 1999, leveraging at least $24.5 million in additional public
and private funds to help low-income families
and individuals throughout Arkansas, Louisiana,
Massachusetts, Mississippi, New York, Texas and
Vermont. In 2007, Entergy received the U.S. Chamber
of Commerce Award for Community Service and
in early 2008, we were recognized for a third time
with the EEI Advocacy Excellence Award for our
low-income initiative.
n฀฀฀
Backing up our environmental concerns with actions.
On climate change, we have articulated a clear
vision for change and made a second voluntary
commitment to stabilize our own carbon dioxide
emissions at 20 percent below year 2000 levels from
2006 to 2010. In 2007, for the sixth consecutive year,
we were the only U.S. utility named to the Dow Jones
Sustainability World Index in recognition of our
sustainability eorts.
We are proud of our track record of accomplishment. But we
don’t believe in declaring victory every time we have a good year.
Nor do we believe in giving in because we’re out-numbered in our
point of view, or giving up because the path to success is unclear.
For example, for a number of years we have been frustrated in
our aspiration of realizing the full value of our non-utility nuclear
eet. Aer considerable time and eort, we believe in 2007 we
found the key to unlock the full value in a way that assures those
To Our Stakeholders
From the theme of this year’s report, you could properly conclude
A
LEONARD
J.Wayne
Chairman and
Chief Executive
Officer