HOUSTON, Jan. 1 /PRNewswire/ -- The first day of the new millennium marked
the successful completion of Reliant Energy's (NYSE: REI) efforts to assure
that its customers received normal electricity and natural gas services. For
the past several years, hundreds of Reliant Energy employees and contractors
have worked to ensure an uneventful January 1, 2000, and more than 1600
employees were on duty over the weekend to see that effort through to a
successful conclusion.
Reliant Energy's Project Year 2000 was a company-wide response to
potential problems related to the way that many computers were programmed to
store dates. Because the company relies heavily on computer technology in
multiple areas, it placed a high priority on checking, modifying and testing
its systems to ensure there would be no impact on service reliability.
"Reliant Energy has built a tradition of providing dependable energy
services for more than 130 years," said Ianne McCrea, senior vice president
and chief information officer. "Our customers depend on us for services that
are a necessity of life, and letting them down was not an option."
In 1997, the company formed a Project Year 2000 team that included members
from across all business units. Between 125 and 150 people worked on Year
2000 readiness issues at any given time with quarterly reviews by the Board of
Directors' Audit Committee. The company's Y2K readiness plan included three
levels of priorities all of which were completed by the end of 1999.
Priority 1 activities -- modifications to systems that could disrupt the
physical production and delivery of energy -- were completed by June 30, 1999.
Priority 2 activities -- modifications to systems that could impact
company financial, customer service and business operations such as processing
of bill payments and other business office activities -- were completed
September 30, 1999.
Priority 3 activities -- modifications to systems that could cause an
inconvenience or productivity loss in normal business operations, such as air
conditioning systems and elevators -- were completed by Dec. 31, 1999.
The Year 2000 team tested, replaced and retested systems and equipment in
all facets of Reliant Energy's business-energy management, information
technology, end-user computing and company facilities. Reliant Energy also
included significant customers and suppliers in its Year 2000 efforts by
monitoring their readiness.
Many of the over 1600 Reliant Energy employees who rang in the new year on
the job were at the company's headquarters building in downtown Houston or at
the Reliant Energy HL&P Energy Control & Data Center. However various
business units including Reliant Energy's electric and natural gas
distribution companies also had hundreds of field personnel at key locations
to handle any service problems that might occur.
Reliant Energy HL&P, which provides electric service to Houston and
surrounding areas, normally has 50 to 75 employees on duty on a holiday
weekend when no adverse weather is anticipated. The company had 275
additional workers on hand to correct any unanticipated problems in the early
hours of the new century. The number of service problems experienced was
fairly typical of similar holiday weekends in the past. Reliant Energy Arkla,
Reliant Energy Entex and Reliant Energy Minnegasco, which distribute natural
gas to customers in six states, also reported a normal level of service
problems.
Reliant Energy, based in Houston, Texas, is an energy delivery and energy
services company with nearly $14 billion in annual revenue and assets totaling
more than $22 billion. The company has more than 22,000 megawatts of power
generation in operation in the U.S. and Europe, announced development projects
totaling more than 4,700 megawatts, and a top-ten wholesale energy trading
business. Reliant Energy also has retail marketing and distribution serving
nearly 4 million electricity and natural gas customers in the U.S.,
significant interests in power distribution operations in Latin America
serving nearly 10 million customers and a telecommunications business in the
Houston area.
SOURCE Reliant Energy
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CONTACT:
Sandra Fruhman of Reliant Energy,
713-207-3123, or pager, 281-268-0667
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