RELIANT ENERGY'S FIRST EUROPEAN TRADING OFFICE OPENS IN THE NETHERLANDS

RELIANT ENERGY'S FIRST EUROPEAN TRADING OFFICE OPENS IN THE NETHERLANDS Houston and Hoofddorp, Netherlands, October 21 - The U.S.-based energy services company Reliant Energy (NYSE: REI) today announced the opening of a new trading and marketing subsidiary in the Netherlands. The subsidiary, Reliant Energy Trading & Marketing B.V., will engage in Pan-European energy trading as well as Netherlands-focused energy marketing and origination. Reliant Energy's initial efforts in the Netherlands will centre on large industrial and commercial customers and distribution companies who are free to choose their own energy supplier under the terms of the Electricity Act of 1998. The company is currently negotiating with several of these potential customers, offering a broad spectrum of energy-related services, including fuel supply, risk management and full-service energy management programs. Reliant Energy Trading & Marketing B.V. is located at Siriusdreef 32, Hoofddorp, phone number 31-20-5064100. There are currently 40 employees working in the office. The company expects to expand its staff to over 100 including commodity traders, market analysts, industrial marketing experts and administrative personnel in the near future. The company is preparing to serve the northwestern region of Europe and anticipates opening additional marketing offices as the European Union continues to deregulate. Reliant Energy will open an office in Frankfurt, Germany, in January. Building on its experience with deregulated energy markets in the U.S., Reliant Energy plans a rapid expansion of service offerings tailored to European markets. ''We are experienced at designing customised products and services that meet the competitive requirements of our clients and reflect the high standards of reliability expected by companies in the Netherlands and elsewhere in Europe. We will place a high priority on building solid long- term business relationships to customers across Europe,'' said Charles M. Oglesby, chief executive officer, Reliant Energy Europe. Reliant Energy Trading & Marketing B.V., is a subsidiary of Reliant Energy. Based in Houston, Texas, Reliant Energy is an international energy delivery and energy services company with $11.5 billion in annual revenue, assets totalling more than $19 billion and a presence in most of the major power regions of the U.S. Reliant Energy recently completed the first phase of its $2.4 billion acquisition of the Dutch power generation firm N.V. UNA. As a result, UNA is the foundation for expansion into northwest Europe. UNA and its management will continue to focus on the operating efficiency and competitive cost structure of the Netherlands-based generation, while at the same time Reliant Energy will be opening commercial offices in the Netherlands, Germany and other countries. Including the assets of UNA, Reliant Energy has nearly 22,000 megawatts of power generation in operation, announced development projects totaling more than 3,500 megawatts of power generation, a top-ten wholesale energy trading business, and marketing and distribution serving nearly 4 million electricity and natural gas customers in the U.S. Reliant Energy also has significant interests in power distribution operations in Latin America serving nearly 10 million customers. Contact: Marion Engelaer of Reliant Energy Trading & Marketing B.V., Netherlands, tel +31-23-5694936; or Pat Hammond of Reliant Energy, USA, tel +1 713-207-7723/ Company News On-Call: http://www.prnewswire.com/comp/419090.html or fax, +1 800-758-5804, ext. 419090 (REI)