ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (June 25, 2004) -- Warm temperatures and high electricity use continued yesterday, prompting Progress Energy Florida to set a new summer record for energy use for a second consecutive day.

On June 24, Progress Energy Florida customers used approximately 8,519 megawatt hours (MWh) between 4 and 5 p.m. One day earlier, the company's customers used 8,446 MWh of electricity, eclipsing the former mark of 8,388 MWh, set July 17, 2002.

"More than two years ago, we embarked on our Commitment to Excellence plan to ensure our system is reliable and able to handle times of peak use," said Bill Habermeyer, president & CEO of Progress Energy Florida.

In February 2002, Progress Energy Florida began its Commitment to Excellence program calling for investments of more than $100 million in system improvements, continued power plant construction, improvements to the company's customer service, and sharpening Progress Energy's focus on employee safety and satisfaction.

"We've made tremendous progress towards improving service, reliability, and employee safety and satisfaction," added Habermeyer. "We're not done yet. And as our customers and energy use continue to grow, we will take the appropriate steps to ensure our customers have electricity when they need it most."

The state of Florida is historically a winter-peaking state, meaning the largest peaks of energy use normally occur in the winter. Progress Energy Florida's all time system peak of 10,131 MWh was set January 24, 2003.

The company generates power at 14 facilities in Florida using nuclear fuel, coal, natural gas, and fuel oil. Most recently, Progress Energy broke ground on its third natural gas-fired generating unit at the Hines Energy Complex in Polk County. The unit will provide an additional 500 megawatts of electricity or enough to supply electricity to about 320,000 homes and businesses.

Progress Energy Florida, a subsidiary of Progress Energy (NYSE: PGN), provides electricity and related services to more than 1.5 million customers in Florida. The company is headquartered in St. Petersburg, Fla., and serves a territory encompassing over 20,000 square miles including the cities of St. Petersburg, Clearwater, as well as the Central Florida area surrounding Orlando. For more information about Florida Power, visit the company's Web site at: http://www.progress-energy.com.

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Contact: Corporate Communications (866) 520-6397 or (727) 820-5060