Full Notification

Subject: News release ‑‑Power Emergency update ‑‑ Rotating outages still in progress ‑‑ Conservation Critical 02022011

This is forwarded to you by the State of Texas State Operations Center
(SOC) for your information and use.

Mid‑morning Update:

During the early morning hours, the ERCOT grid began experiencing
numerous forced outages of generation due to the cold weather. As of 9
am, more than 7,000 MW of capacity was still out of service or not
producing at its expected level.

Rotating outages were implemented around 5:30 a.m. this morning to shed
4000 MW of load. The rotating outages are continuing as this time,
although the amount has been reduced to about 3000 MW.

. We are continuing the appeal for energy
conservation.

Further updates will be provided when additional information is
available.


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE ‑‑ 6:54 am
Contact: Dottie Roark, ERCOT, 512‑225‑7024

Power Emergency ‑ Conservation CRITICAL‑‑Rotating Outages Have Begun

Feb. 2, 2011, Austin ‑‑ The Electric Reliability Council of Texas
(ERCOT) has instructed utilities to begin rotating outages to compensate
for a generation shortage due to numerous plant trips that occurred
because of the extreme weather.

Rotating outages are controlled, temporary interruptions of electric
service, typically lasting 10‑45 minutes per neighborhood. The
locations and durations are determined by the local utilities. Critical
need customers such as hospitals and nursing homes are generally not
included.

It is not known at this time how long the need for rotating outages will
last.

Consumers and businesses are urged to reduce their electricity use to
the lowest level possible, including these steps:

* Limit electricity usage to only that consumption which is
absolutely necessary. Turn off all unnecessary lights, appliances, and
electronic equipment.
* Businesses should minimize the use of electric lighting and
electricity‑consuming equipment as much as possible.
* Large consumers of electricity should consider shutting down or
reducing non‑essential production processes.

See more conservation tips at "Powerful Advice," Public Utility
Commission of Texas:
www.puc.state.tx.us./ocp/conserve<http://www.puc.state.tx.us./ocp/conser
ve<http://www.puc.state.tx.us./ocp/conserve<http://www.puc.state.tx.us./
ocp/conserve>>

BACKGROUND

A Power Emergency indicates that the regional electric grid operator,
the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), has instructed
utilities to implement rotating outages to reduce load.

Rotating outages are controlled, temporary interruptions of electrical
service initiated by each utility when supplies of reserve power are
exhausted. Without this safety valve, generators would overload and
begin shutting down to avoid damage, risking a domino effect of a
region‑wide outage.

Rotating outages primarily affect residential neighborhoods and small
businesses and do not typically include critical‑need customers such as
hospitals and nursing homes.

The outages are limited to 10‑45 minutes before being rotated to a
different neighborhood. Some customers may experience longer outages if
power surges cause equipment failure during the restoration process.
Customers can minimize power surges by turning off appliances, lights
and other equipment, except for one task light to determine when power
has been restored.

ERCOT REGION

The ERCOT Region includes Houston, Dallas, Fort Worth, San Antonio,
Austin, Corpus Christi, Abilene and the Rio Grande Valley. It does not
include the El Paso area, the Texas Panhandle, Northeast Texas
(Longview, Marshall and Texarkana), and Southeast Texas (Beaumont, Port
Arthur, and the Woodlands). Region map:
http://www.ercot.com/news/mediakit/maps/index.html

HELPFUL CONTACTS

For Utility Information
Check your electric bill to identify your utility company or
transmission provider.

Investor‑Owned Utilities (Transmission & Distribution)
American Electric Power<http://www.aeptexas.com/>
877‑373‑4858
CenterPoint Energy<http://www.centerpointenergy.com>
800‑752‑8036
Oncor<http://www.oncorgroup.com/>
888‑313‑4747
Sharyland Utilities<http://www.su‑power.com/>
956‑668‑9551
Texas‑New Mexico Power<http://www.tnpe.com> 888‑866‑7456
Outside ERCOT
Entergy‑Texas<file:///C:\Program%20Files\Microsoft%20Office\OFFICE11\103
3\VIDEO.MHThttp:\www.entergy‑texas.com\>
800‑968‑8243

Community‑Owned Electric Utilities
Texas Public Power Association, http://www.tppa.com/

Utility Directories
http://www.puc.state.tx.us/electric/directories/index.cfm

Electric Industry Links
http://www.puc.state.tx.us/electric/links.cfm

ERCOT Market Participants
http://www.ercot.com/mktparticipants/index.html

Conservation Tips
http://www.puc.state.tx.us/ocp/conserve/index.cfm

The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT)<http://www.ercot.com/>
manages the flow of electric power to approximately 22 million Texas
customers ‑ representing 85 percent of the state's electric load and 75
percent of the Texas land area. As the Independent System Operator for
the region, ERCOT schedules power on an electric grid that connects
40,000 miles of transmission lines and more than 550 generation units.
ERCOT also manages financial settlement for the competitive wholesale
bulk‑power market and administers customer switching for 6.5 million
Texans in competitive choice areas.