CenterPoint Energy Declares $0.17 Quarterly Dividend


HOUSTON, July 26, 2007 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- CenterPoint Energy, Inc.'s (NYSE:CNP) board of directors today declared a regular quarterly cash dividend of $0.17 per share of common stock payable on September 10, 2007, to shareholders of record as of the close of business on August 16, 2007. This equates to an annual dividend of $0.68 per share of common stock.

CenterPoint Energy, Inc., headquartered in Houston, Texas, is a domestic energy delivery company that includes electric transmission & distribution, natural gas distribution, competitive natural gas sales and services, and interstate pipeline and field services operations. The company serves more than five million metered customers primarily in Arkansas, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, Oklahoma, and Texas. Assets total over $17 billion. With about 8,600 employees, CenterPoint Energy and its predecessor companies have been in business for more than 130 years. For more information, visit the Web site at www.CenterPointEnergy.com.

The CenterPoint Energy logo is available at http://www.primenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=3588

This news release includes forward-looking statements. Actual events and results may differ materially from those projected. The statements in this news release regarding future financial performance and results of operations and other statements that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements. Factors that could affect actual results include the timing and outcome of appeals from the true-up proceedings, the timing and impact of future regulatory, legislative and IRS decisions, effects of competition, weather variations, changes in CenterPoint Energy's or its subsidiaries' business plans, financial market conditions, the timing and extent of changes in commodity prices, particularly natural gas, the impact of unplanned facility outages, and other factors discussed in CenterPoint Energy's Form 10-K for the period ended December 31, 2006, and Form 10-Q for the period ended March 31, 2007, and other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.



            

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