The Board of Directors of CenterPoint Energy, Incorporated , formerly Reliant Energy, Inc., today declared a regular quarterly cash dividend of $0.16 per share of common stock payable on December 10, 2002, to holders of record as of the close of business on November 15, 2002. This equates to an annual dividend of $0.64 per share of common stock.

CenterPoint Energy, Inc., headquartered in Houston, Texas, is a domestic energy delivery company that includes electricity transmission and distribution, natural gas distribution and sales, interstate pipeline and gathering operations, and more than 14,000 megawatts of power generation in Texas. The company serves nearly five million customers in Arkansas, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma, Texas, and Wisconsin. Assets total nearly $19 billion.

CenterPoint Energy became the new holding company for the regulated operations of the former Reliant Energy, Inc. in August 2002.

With more than 11,000 employees, CenterPoint Energy and its predecessor companies have been in business for more than 130 years. For more information, visit our Web site at CenterPointEnergy.com .

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SOURCE: CenterPoint Energy, Incorporated