Tractebel Energy Services Offers Free Webinar for Massachusetts; Will Help Businesses Address March 1 Deadline

Business Wire, Jan 18, 2005

HOUSTON -- Tractebel Energy Services Inc., the U.S. retail energy business of Tractebel Electricity and Gas International, a business division of SUEZ (NYSE:SZE), is offering a free, 30-minute Web-based seminar Jan. 27 to help commercial and industrial decision makers cope with the important decision they will soon face in choosing an energy provider.

The energy market in Massachusetts will change on March 1, 2005, when the standard offer service, provided by local distribution companies, expires. This means Commercial and Industrial (C&I) customers who have not chosen an energy provider by that date will revert to the "default service," provided by the local utility. Customers accepting "default service" will lose a 15 percent transition discount offered as an incentive to those who switch to a competitive supplier, and they become subject to volatile market rates.

To better inform C&I customers about the risks they may be facing as well as the options they now have under the new regulations in Massachusetts, Tractebel Energy Services is hosting the "Webinar" at 9 a.m. (EST), Thursday, Jan. 27. The Web-based seminar, Maximizing Electricity Savings in Massachusetts, will walk visitors through the current market dynamics that energy, facility and financial decision makers face in Massachusetts.

Experts from the company will also explain the basic provider options C&I customers will have as of March 1, which essentially are: (1) Competitive generation service from suppliers such as Tractebel Energy Services; (2) Standard offer service, provided by local distribution companies; and (3) Default service, also provided by local distribution companies. These service options were stipulated by The Massachusetts Electricity Restructuring Act recently, and that means as many as 27,000(a) medium and large C&I customers have only a limited time to make a choice based on which option is best for them.

Tractebel Energy Services will have three energy experts available for the online meeting. To register for the Webinar, e-mail tesidirect@tractebelusa.com.

"Our goal is to help businesses make an informed decision," said JD Burrows, vice president of Marketing. "We realize that many customers may have already made their choice, but we think even those customers would benefit from this dialogue because there are so many complexities to be aware of."

Tractebel Energy Services' parent company, SUEZ, is one of the most established and largest companies in the world, dating back to 1822 with more than 180,000 employees worldwide and 15,000 based in North America. To learn more about Tractebel Energy Services, customers may visit the company's Web site at www.tractebelenergy.com or call 1-866-999-8374.

Licensed in 10 states (Texas, New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Maryland, Maine, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Rhode Island and Connecticut), Tractebel Energy Services plans to expand to other states in the Northeast and Midwest in 2005.

For more information about SUEZ, Tractebel Electricity & Gas International, or Tractebel Energy Services visit the companies' Web sites at www.suez.com, www.egi.tractebel.com, or www.tractebelenergy.com.

(a) According to the Massachusetts Division of Energy Resources (DOER)

About Tractebel North America Inc.

Based in Houston, Tractebel Energy Services Inc., is a wholly owned subsidiary of Tractebel North America Inc. (TNA). TNA is responsible for managing SUEZ's positions within the energy value chain in the U.S., Mexico and Canada, including electricity generation and cogeneration, natural gas and liquefied natural gas (LNG), asset-based trading and origination, and retail energy sales and related services to Commercial and Industrial customers.

TNA owns and/or operates a total of 59 power, cogeneration, steam, and chilled-water facilities, including those in construction or development, representing a capacity of more than 5,717 MW of electricity generation, 12 million pounds per hour of steam, and 147,000 tons per hour of chilled water. TNA's wholly owned subsidiary, Tractebel LNG North America LLC ("TLNGNA"), owns and operates a liquefied natural gas ("LNG") receiving terminal in Everett, Mass., which commenced operations in 1971 and currently serves most of the gas utilities in New England and key power producers, meeting approximately 20% of New England's annual gas demand.

In Mexico, TNA affiliates operate three natural gas distribution companies, located in Guadalajara, Queretaro and Tampico, which serve more than 90,000 customers with clean and reliable energy. TNA affiliates also operate cogeneration plants in Tampico and Monterrey, which produce 280 MW of power. TNA and its affiliates are the only companies in Mexico with the capacity to offer integrated solutions regarding natural gas, electricity and energy-related services.