Alliant Energy Marks 10 Years of Operation With Ceremonial Bell Ringing at NYSE

Alliant Energy Marks 10 Years of Operation With Ceremonial Bell Ringing at NYSE

		Alliant Energy is the parent company of two public utility companies--Interstate Power and Light Company (IPL) and Wisconsin Power and Light Company (WPL)--and of Alliant Energy Resources, Inc. (AER), the parent company of Alliant Energy's non-regulated operations. (PRNewsFoto/ALLIANT ENERGY CORPORATION) MADISON, WI UNITED STATES

Company was created as part of a 3-way company merger; LNT stock began trading on April 21, 1998 MADISON, Wis., April 21 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Alliant Energy Corporation (NYSE: LNT) will mark the 10th anniversary of its merger when Bill Harvey, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer rings The Closing Bell(R) at the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) tomorrow afternoon. (Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20020405/LNTLOGO) Since the merger Alliant Energy stock has achieved a total shareholder return of 89 percent, which compares favorably to the S&P 500 return of 45 percent over the same period. "We're honored to mark our 10th anniversary by ringing the closing bell at the New York Stock Exchange," Harvey said. "10 years ago three separate entities, IES Industries, Interstate Power and Light Company and Wisconsin Power and Light Company, merged to form what has become Alliant Energy. The result of that merger has been a noteworthy success for customers, shareowners, and the communities we serve. Alliant Energy is committed to continuing to meet its customers' energy needs with a plan that balances reliability, affordability and a commitment to a greener future. It's been a great 10 years, and we look forward to the next 10 and beyond." Alliant Energy provides electric and natural gas service to approximately one million electric and approximately 400,000 natural gas customers in Wisconsin, Iowa and Minnesota. It serves more than 1,000 cities and towns within its service territory; many have been served by Alliant Energy predecessor companies for nearly 100 years. Alliant Energy's corporate headquarters is located in Madison, Wisconsin with general offices in Cedar Rapids and Dubuque, Iowa. The company employs approximately 5,200 people. Among those ringing the bell with Harvey will be Eliot Protsch, Senior Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer; Barbara J. Swan, Executive Vice President, General Counsel and President of Wisconsin Power and Light Company; Thomas L. Aller, Senior Vice President-Energy Delivery and President of Interstate Power and Light Company. A live webcast of the event can be accessed on the home page of http://www.nyse.com beginning at 3:55 p.m. EST tomorrow. Alliant Energy is an energy-services provider with subsidiaries serving approximately 1 million electric and over 400,000 natural gas customers. Providing its customers in the Midwest with regulated electric and natural gas service is the company's primary focus. Alliant Energy, headquartered in Madison, Wis., is a Fortune 1000 company traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol LNT. For more information, visit the company's Web site at http://www.alliantenergy.com.