Reliant Energy Named 2008 Bay Business of the Year By Galveston Bay Foundation

Reliant Energy today received the highest environmental award provided by Galveston Bay Foundation at its third annual Business and Industry Luncheon held in downtown Houston.

“It gives me great pleasure to present the 2008 Bay Business Award to Reliant Energy,” said Bob Stokes, executive director of the Galveston Bay Foundation. “Reliant Energy was chosen for its community involvement, environmental stewardship and overall support of the foundation’s efforts to restore and protect the natural resources of Galveston Bay.”

According to Stokes, “This award is a tribute to Reliant Energy’s rich history of local, regional and national community support in a wide variety of areas. The company’s commitment to environmental stewardship is evident in the hard work of its employee volunteers who have played a critical role in helping restore wetland habitats in the Galveston Bay area.”

Dave Freysinger, senior vice president of generation operations, accepted the award on behalf of the company. “Reliant is proud to partner with organizations such as the Galveston Bay Foundation. We are active in all of the communities in the 11 states where we operate and encourage our employees to participate in these activities,” said Freysinger.

Reliant Energy is active in the following environmental programs:

— Environmental Partners – initiated 20 years ago, this program addresses habitat restoration, habitat preservation and environmental education needs. Primary project partners have been the Galveston Bay Estuary Program, the Galveston Bay Foundation, Scenic Galveston, the Natural Resources Conservation Service, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, the Port of Houston, and the Gulf Coast Bird Observatory. As Reliant expanded its business across the country, the Environmental Partners program expanded as well. Reliant still calls Houston home and continues to provide funding, in-kind services, and manpower to a host of environmental efforts in the Galveston Bay system.

— Wetland Plant Nursery – provides wetland vegetation to restore hundreds of acres of intertidal marsh.

— Marsh Mania – throughout the 10 years of Marsh Mania, Reliant has provided plants, funding, and volunteers for a number of wetland restoration sites around Galveston Bay.

— Beneficial Uses of Dredged Materials for Wetland Restoration – partners with the Port of Houston, the Natural Resources Conservation Service, and the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service to develop large-scale, intertidal marsh planting protocols.

— Bay Day – since its inception in the 1990s, Reliant has been a major underwriter and in 2008 provided funding to allow the Texas Marine Extension to bring the floating classroom to the Kemah Boardwalk to teach students the functions and values of our precious wetland resources.

— Oyster Reef Construction – since 1994 Reliant has designed and constructed seven oyster reefs in Galveston Bay.

— Dickinson Bay Island Project – provides support to create a productive intertidal marsh habitat, oyster reef, neotropic bird nesting habitat and recreational fishing destination.

— Columbia Bottomlands Carbon Sequestration Project – provided funds to preserve and reforest 1,170 acres in the Columbia Bottomlands with the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation. Through this public-private partnership, Reliant is able to preserve vital habitat and take a small step toward reducing greenhouse gases.

Reliant Energy, Inc. (NYSE:RRI) based in Houston, provides electricity and energy services to retail and wholesale customers in the United States. The company provides service to approximately 1.8 million retail electricity customers primarily in Texas, including residential and small business customers. Reliant also serves commercial, industrial, governmental and institutional customers in Delaware, Illinois, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, and the District of Columbia.

The company is one of the largest independent power producers in the nation with more than 15,000 megawatts of power generation capacity across the United States. These strategically located generating assets use natural gas, fuel oil and coal. For more information, visit http://www.reliant.com.

The Galveston Bay Foundation is a non-profit 501c (3) conservation organization whose mission is to preserve, protect, and enhance the natural resources of Galveston Bay and its tributaries. It was formed to bring the users of Galveston Bay together to balance the multiple uses of the Bay and work on behalf of the long-term interests of Galveston Bay. The foundation believes that a healthy Galveston Bay can be used by recreational, commercial and industrial users to improve the quality of life of all in this region by providing economic and recreational opportunities, as long as those uses take place in a sustainable fashion, allowing the natural resources of Galveston Bay to be enjoyed by current and future generations. For further information contact GBF at 281-332-3381 or visit the Web site at http://www.galvbay.org.