NEW YORK (Standard&Poor's) May 25, 2006--Standard&Poor's Ratings Services today affirmed its ratings on Duke Energy and all its subsidiaries, including Duke Power Company LLC, Duke Capital LLC, and Cinergy Corp. At the same time, Standard&Poor's revised the outlook on the companies to positive from stable, reflecting the company's recent announcement to sell Cinergy's commercial trading and marketing operations. The sale, which could be completed before the end of the year, should contribute to a further moderation in business risk, as well as materially reduce future collateral requirements. Through the merger with Cinergy, Duke Energy's business risk profile benefits from expanded regulated electric operations in five U.S. states and natural gas transmission and distribution operations
