HOUSTON, Sept 09, 2009 /PRNewswire-FirstCall via COMTEX News Network/ -- CenterPoint Energy, Inc. (NYSE: CNP) announced today that it has commenced an underwritten registered public offering of 21,000,000 shares of its common stock, subject to market conditions. CenterPoint Energy expects to grant the underwriters an option to purchase up to an additional 3,150,000 shares to cover over-allotments, if any.

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20020930/CNPLOGO)

The company intends to use the net proceeds from this offering for general corporate purposes, including, without limitation, repayment of borrowings under its revolving credit facility and its money pool and making loans to its subsidiaries, including to CenterPoint Energy Resources Corp. to fund its subsidiary's gas gathering project.

This news release does not constitute an offer to sell, or the solicitation of an offer to buy, any security and shall not constitute an offer, solicitation or sale in any jurisdiction in which such offering would be unlawful. The offering will be made pursuant to CenterPoint Energy's shelf registration statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on October 9, 2008, which became automatically effective, by means of a prospectus and related prospectus supplement.

Citi, Deutsche Bank Securities, BofA Merrill Lynch and UBS Investment Bank will act as joint book-running underwriters in connection with the offering. Copies of the prospectus and the preliminary prospectus supplement relating to the offering may be obtained from the offices of Citi, Brooklyn Army Terminal, 140 58th Street, 8th Floor, Brooklyn, New York 11220 (toll-free: 800-831-9146); Deutsche Bank Securities, Prospectus Department, 100 Plaza One, Jersey City, New Jersey 07311-3901 (toll-free: 800-503-4611) or by e-mail at prospectusrequest@list.db.com; BofA Merrill Lynch, 4 World Financial Center, New York, New York 10080, Attn: Prospectus Department; and UBS Investment Bank, Attn: Prospectus Department, 299 Park Avenue, New York, New York 10171 (toll-free: 888-827-7275).

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, interstate pipelines and field services operations. The company serves more than five million metered customers primarily in Arkansas, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, Oklahoma and Texas.

This news release includes forward-looking statements. Actual events and results may differ materially from those projected. The statements in this news release regarding the offering and the use of proceeds thereof are forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties including market conditions, changes in CenterPoint Energy's business plans and other factors discussed in CenterPoint Energy's Form 10-K for the period ended December 31, 2008, CenterPoint Energy's Form 10-Q for the period ended March 31, 2009, CenterPoint Energy's Form 10-Q for the period ended June 30, 2009, and CenterPoint Energy's other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

    For more information contact
    Media:
    Leticia Lowe
    Phone  713.207.7702
    Investors:
    Marianne Paulsen
    Phone  713.207.6500

SOURCE CenterPoint Energy, Inc.

http://www.centerpointenergy.com

Copyright (C) 2009 PR Newswire. All rights reserved