CenterPoint Energy, Inc.'s president and chief executive officer, David M. McClanahan, will participate in a panel discussion at the Merrill Lynch Power and Gas Leaders Conference on Sept. 18, 2003.

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20020930/CNPLOGO )

The live webcast of the panel discussion will begin at approximately 2 p.m. Eastern time. You are invited to access the discussion and view the presentation on the Internet at www.CenterPointEnergy.com , in the Investors section. A replay of the panel discussion will be available approximately one hour after the live webcast, and will be archived on the company's Web site for at least one year.

CenterPoint Energy, Inc., headquartered in Houston, Texas, is a domestic energy delivery company that includes electric transmission & 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 metered customers primarily in Arkansas, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma, and Texas. Assets total approximately $20 billion. CenterPoint Energy became the new holding company for the regulated operations of the former Reliant Energy, Incorporated in August 2002. With more than 11,000 employees, CenterPoint Energy and its predecessor companies have been in business for more than 130 years.

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SOURCE: CenterPoint Energy, Inc.