Shares of PowerSecure International rose to their highest point in more than five years Tuesday after the company announced it boosted its revenue backlog by $60 million.

The Wake Forest-based energy services company's stock closed at $13.95, up more than 12 percent on the day.

PowerSecure employs about 700 in Wake Forest, Raleigh, Morrisville and elsewhere. It provides services in emergency backup generators, energy-efficient lighting, solar panel installation and utility maintenance crew contracting.

PowerSecure's revenue backlog, representing a one-third expansion in annual sales, is an indication of future sales. Most of the backlog announced Tuesday will be realized this year, the company said.

About $24 million of the backlog comes from contracts PowerSecure acquired in February and about $36 million is from new business. PowerSecure will provide further the details May 8 during its first-quarter earnings release.

Progress Energy reported weakening electricity sales for what was to be the Raleigh-based power company's last year of independent operation before a planned merger with Duke Energy in Charlotte.

The revenues and earnings released this morning are a prelude to conference calls with Wall Street analysts and investors who will undoubtedly seek updates on the status of the delayed $26 billion merger. Duke's conference call is scheduled at 10 a.m. today and Progress will update Wall Street at 2 p.m.

Duke's CEO Jim Rogers told our sister paper, The Charlotte Obsever, that the companies expect to file their revisions within a week. The two North Carolina electric utilities were expected to file their merger revisions as early as last month and warned then that the deal could be delayed by six months as the revisions make their way through complex regulatory reviews.