Texas Genco Holdings, Inc. , CenterPoint Energy, Inc.'s majority-owned subsidiary, announced today that it will extend the mothball status of two gas-fired generating units totaling 926 MW through November 2003.

"Lack of bids for gas fired generation during the March capacity auction for June, July and August has resulted in the decision to keep P.H. Robinson, Unit 3 (552 MW) and Webster, Unit 3 (374 MW) in mothball status," said David Tees, president and chief executive officer of Texas Genco. "The remaining six units mothballed last fall, totaling 2,470 MW, will return to service by June 2003."

The company will hold another capacity auction on April 8, 2003, to offer additional May gas capacity as well as remaining gas capacity offered but not sold in previous Texas Public Utility Commission or Texas Genco auctions for May through August usage.

  The plants mothballed last fall and returning to service by June are:

   Plant                              MW               Location in Texas
   P.H. Robinson Units 1,2,4        1,661              Bacliff
   Green Bayou Unit 5                 406              Houston
   T.H. Wharton Unit 2                229              Houston
   Deepwater Unit 7                   174              Pasadena

Texas Genco Holdings, Inc., based in Houston, Texas, is one of the largest wholesale electric power generating companies in the United States with over 14,000 megawatts of generation capacity. It sells electric generation capacity, energy and ancillary services in one of the nation's largest power markets, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT). Texas Genco has one of the most diversified generation portfolios in Texas, using natural gas, coal, lignite, and uranium fuels. The company owns and operates 60 generating units at 11 electric power-generating facilities and owns a 30.8 percent interest in a nuclear generating plant. Texas Genco currently is a majority- owned subsidiary of CenterPoint Energy, Inc. For more information, visit our web site at www.txgenco.com .

Texas Genco, a subsidiary of CenterPoint Energy, Inc., is not the same company as CenterPoint Energy, and you do not have to buy Texas Genco's products to continue to receive quality regulated services from CenterPoint Energy.

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SOURCE: Texas Genco Holdings, Inc.