HOUSTON, Oct 25, 2007 (PrimeNewswire via COMTEX News Network) -- CenterPoint Energy, Inc.'s (NYSE:CNP) board of directors today elected Sherman M. Wolff to the company's board, effective Oct. 25, 2007, and declared a regular quarterly cash dividend of $0.17 per share of common stock. The dividend is payable on December 10, 2007, to shareholders of record as of the close of business on November 16, 2007.

Prior to his retirement in 2006, Wolff served as executive vice president and chief operating officer of Health Care Service Corporation, which provides health and life insurance products and related services as Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas, Illinois, New Mexico and Oklahoma. He held various positions with that company from 1991 until his retirement. He is currently a director of Fort Dearborn Life Insurance Company.

Wolff is expected to stand for election by the shareholders at the CenterPoint Energy 2008 annual meeting and will serve on the board's Audit, Compensation and Finance Committees.

He joins current board members Milton Carroll (chairman), Donald R. Campbell, Derrill Cody, O. Holcombe Crosswell, Janiece Longoria, Thomas F. Madison, David M. McClanahan, Robert T. O'Connell, Michael E. Shannon, and Peter S. Wareing.

CenterPoint Energy, Inc., headquartered in Houston, Texas, is a domestic energy delivery company that includes electric transmission & distribution, natural gas distribution, competitive natural gas sales and services, and interstate pipeline and field services operations. The company serves more than five million metered customers primarily in Arkansas, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, Oklahoma, and Texas. Assets total over $17 billion. With about 8,600 employees, CenterPoint Energy and its predecessor companies have been in business for more than 130 years. For more information, visit the Web site at www.CenterPointEnergy.com.

The CenterPoint Energy logo is available at http://www.primenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=3588

This news release includes forward-looking statements. Actual events and results may differ materially from those projected. The statements in this news release regarding future financial performance and results of operations and other statements that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements. Factors that could affect actual results include the timing and outcome of appeals from the true-up proceedings, the timing and impact of future regulatory, legislative and IRS decisions, effects of competition, weather variations, changes in CenterPoint Energy's or its subsidiaries' business plans, financial market conditions, the timing and extent of changes in commodity prices, particularly natural gas, the impact of unplanned facility outages, and other factors discussed in CenterPoint Energy's Form 10-K for the period ended December 31, 2006, and Form 10-Q for the period ended March 31, and June 30, 2007, and other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

This news release was distributed by PrimeNewswire, www.primenewswire.com

SOURCE: CenterPoint Energy, Inc.

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