CenterPoint Energy's Pipeline Services unit recently signed two separate agreements with Northern Natural Gas (NNG) to provide operations and maintenance services for NNG's 30-inch Black Marlin System and their Matagorda, Texas Offshore Pipeline System along with some related offshore Louisiana pipeline assets.

CenterPoint Energy Pipeline Services will provide complete operations and maintenance services for these respective on shore and offshore pipeline facilities including: measurement, gas quality, SCADA communication, corrosion, dehydration, leak surveys, encroachment monitoring, pipeline patrols, pigging, public awareness, emergency response, and Department of Transportation records maintenance.

"These O&M opportunities with NNG call upon the diverse services that CenterPoint Energy Pipeline Services provides to its clients. They also help to expand our gulf coast presence and enable us to pursue other substantial O&M, project management and integrity management related opportunities in this region where so many other companies have pipelines, underground storage caverns or marine terminals," said David Smith, of CenterPoint Energy Pipeline Services' marketing & business development group.

CenterPoint Energy Pipeline Services' Houston (Deer Park) Gulf Coast Team will provide services for the Matagorda assets. The Black Marlin system will be managed by the company's East Texas Team, which has offices in Pittsburgh and Marshall, Texas.

CenterPoint Energy, Inc., headquartered in Houston, Texas, is a domestic energy delivery company that includes electric 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 seven states. CenterPoint Energy became the new holding company for the regulated operations of the former Reliant Energy 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 about CenterPoint Energy Pipeline Services, view their website ps.CenterPointEnergy.com .

Northern Natural Gas Company is owned by MidAmerican Energy Holdings Company. NNG provides transportation and storage services to approximately 75 utility customers and numerous end-use customers in the upper Midwestern U.S. and provides cross-haul/grid transportation between other interstate and intrastate pipelines in the Permian, Anadarko, Hugoton and Midwest areas. NNG also operates three natural gas storage facilities and two LNG peaking units.

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SOURCE: CenterPoint Energy, Inc.