CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Duke Energy Corp., one of the nation's largest electric power companies, said Friday its first-quarter profit rose 30 percent, boosted by the company's three largest business units.

The Charlotte-based utility earned $465 million, or 37 cents per share, in the first three months of 2008, up from $357 million, or 28 cents per share, during the same period in 2007.

Excluding special items and discontinued operations, the company said it earned 35 cents per share in the latest quarter, up from 30 cents a share a year earlier.

Analysts polled by Thomson Financial forecast a profit of 30 cents per share. Thomson estimates usually exclude special items.

Revenue rose 10 percent to $3.34 billion from $3.04 billion during the same period a year earlier. Analysts expected revenue of $3.25 billion.

For the quarter, Duke's U.S. electric and gas unit posted an 11 percent increase to earnings, mainly driven by weather, rate credits and a lack of write-downs.

The company's commercial-power unit saw earnings surge to $146 million from $13 million a year earlier. That gain was helped by an increase in the value of its trading positions, which offset higher expenses from plant maintenance.

Duke's international segment earned $114 million, up 21 percent from the same year ago period, driven by favorable exchange rates.

Chairman and Chief Executive James E. Rogers said the company is "on track to accomplish our goals," including attaining a 2008 employee incentive target of $1.27 a share on an adjusted diluted basis.

Duke Energy supplies and delivers energy to 4 million customers. It has nearly 35,000 megawatts of electric generating capacity in the Midwest and the Carolinas, and natural gas distribution services in Ohio and Kentucky. In addition, Duke Energy has more than 4,000 megawatts of electric generation in Latin America.

On Thursday, Duke Energy said coal gasification power plant under construction in southwest Indiana will cost $2.35 billion -- possibly increasing rates for customers by 2 percent.

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Duke Energy Corp.