Structure nMarket® Ready for Southwest Power Pool Testing; Despite concerns that some market participants and their software vendors may not be ready, Structure nMarket software suite is ready for SPP Open Testing and Parallel Operations III

Business Wire, August 2, 2006

HOUSTON -- The Structure Group has announced that its Structure nMarket(R) software clients are prepared to participate in the Southwest Power Pool (SPP) Open Testing that began July 31, as well as Parallel Operations III (POPS III) starting August 7.

"Structure nMarket has been ready to support every phase of SPP Market Trials thus far. Open Testing and POPS III will not be an exception," said Structure's David Potts, Software Director. "After having time to assess the draft specifications posted by SPP June 16th, we have confirmed that nMarket SPP will be able to support Open Testing and POPS III activities."

Launch Postponed Until November 1

"At its July meeting, SPP's Board of Directors approved a motion to postpone the launch of the Energy Imbalance Services (EIS) until November 1," said Scott Quin, Structure's Market Intelligence Manager for SPP. "The Strategic Planning Committee recommended the motion in response to Market Participants' requests for more time to test and train their operators in preparation for Market launch. However, from a systems perspective, the push is still on. Much of the market implementation and testing timeline remains unchanged from the earlier schedule supporting an October 1 go-live."

Structure's nMarket software suite for wholesale energy transaction management offers an integrated, bid-to-bill platform for straight-through processing accuracy, efficiency and performance. It is easily configured out of the box and is specifically designed to support the requirements of each regional energy market while maintaining a consistent user interface. Structure nMarket is the only software suite that offers true multi-market coverage across every operational North American power market. Based on current clients and market volume, Structure nMarket provides functionality for the scheduling, bidding and settlement of more generation and load than all of the other competing software solutions combined.

About The Structure Group

The Structure Group is a leading provider of energy trading business solutions and consulting services to market participants in North America and Europe. Established in 1998, Structure has experience working with organizations in all stages of the energy value chain. Structure introduced nMarket(R) in 2000 to assist energy organizations with the bidding, scheduling, dispatch and settlement of energy trades and ancillary services in regional power markets. Power marketers who participate in the California, ERCOT, Midwest, New England, New York, PJM, SPP and Ontario markets are currently using the product. The Structure Group recently introduced nMarket Gas. For more information about The Structure Group, visit www.thestructuregroup.com or contact us directly at contact@thestructuregroup.com.