Texas Electric Utility Company Employees Restore Power, Volunteer, and Give Generously

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Texas Electric Utility Company Employees Restore Power, Volunteer, and Give Generously
    AUSTIN, Texas, Sept. 15 /PRNewswire/ -- More than 1,400 employees and
contractors from member companies of the Association of Electric Companies of
Texas (AECT) have been working in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama to
restore electricity in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.
    In addition, AECT companies and employees have pledged more than
$3.3 million to the American Red Cross and the Power of Hope Fund -- a charity
launched by Entergy, the largest electric company in Louisiana with operations
also in Texas, Mississippi and Arkansas. Furthermore, hundreds of AECT
member-company employees have volunteered their services at evacuee shelters
and in other ways across Texas.
    AECT member companies have sent another 1,500 employees and contractors
from national operations outside Texas to join Entergy's 10,000 field
employees to help the massive restoration efforts.
    Specifically, TXU sent 770 Texas employees and about 100 trucks to
Louisiana, the largest of the AECT contingent. Entergy Texas provided 300
employees and AEP Texas sent 177 personnel from Texas and another 1,329 from
nationwide operations.  AEP has sent a total of 350 trucks nationwide -- 60
from Texas -- to assist in the relief efforts.
    CenterPoint Energy sent 150 Texas personnel and 87 trucks to Louisiana and
Mississippi. Texas-New Mexico responded with 28 employees and 13 vehicles. El
Paso Electric and Xcel Energy have crews prepared to deploy if requested, but
to date requests have not yet been made of them to provide support. Reliant
Energy does not have distribution crews.
    "These men and women have worked under some of the worst conditions ever
faced in responding to requests for support to bring power back on line in the
damaged regions of the Gulf Coast," said John W. Fainter, Jr., president and
CEO of AECT.  "But from reports we have received from the field, the Texas
crews have responded admirably and ably," he said. Crews include linemen,
construction personnel and technical support staffs.
    Fainter said Texas electric utility company officials and employees have
also shown their support for the Katrina victims by giving or pledging
$1,675,000 to the American Red Cross and $1,650,000 to the Power of Hope Fund.
"These Texas companies and employees are restoring facilities and restoring
lives," Fainter said.
    Examples of volunteer efforts in Texas by AECT member-company employees
include:
     * CenterPoint Energy being responsible for logistics operations at
       Houston's George R. Brown Convention Center evacuee facility at the
       request of Mayor Bill White.
     * Reliant Energy employees being responsible for more than 5,600
       volunteer hours involving 1,400 employees at Houston's evacuee centers,
       and providing 50 computers at shelters along with the technological
       personnel to operate the computers.
     * Xcel Energy employees volunteering to assist evacuees flown from New
       Orleans to the Amarillo Civic Center for shelter.
     * El Paso Electric employees volunteering to assist evacuees at the El
       Paso Civic Center.
     * Texas-New Mexico Power Company making available their payment centers
       and other facilities to be used as collection points for food and other
       emergency supplies.
     * TXU adopting 18 family members of Entergy employees, providing
       emergency care and donations from employees to completely furnish four
       households.
     * AEP Texas has held several Katrina fundraising events at its Corpus
       Christi headquarters and others are planned.

    AECT member companies include AEP Texas, CenterPoint Energy, El Paso
Electric, Entergy Texas, Reliant Energy, Southwestern Electric Power Company,
Texas-New Mexico Power Company, TXU and Xcel Energy.
    The Association of Electric Companies of Texas, Inc. (AECT) is a trade
organization representing electric companies in Texas.  AECT provides a forum
for member company representatives to exchange information on their industry,
and to communicate with state and federal government officials.  For more
information, access AECT's Website at http://www.aect.net .

     Contacts:
     John Fainter, 512/ 474-9670
     Walt Baum,    512/ 474-9670
     Bill Maddox,  512/ 432-1916
            Cell:  210/ 289-8235
SOURCE Association of Electric Companies of Texas
http://www.aect.net
CONTACT:
John Fainter, +1-512-474-9670, or Walt Baum,
+1-512-474-9670, or Bill Maddox, +1-512-432-1916, or cell,
+1-210-289-8235, all of Association of Electric Companies of
Texas