Entergy Corporation Cooperating with the U.S. Department of Justice on Civil Investigation

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Oct 12, 2010, 07:00 ET

NEW ORLEANS, Oct. 12 /PRNewswire/ -- Entergy Corporation is cooperating with the U.S. Department of Justice on a civil investigation of competitive issues concerning certain practices and policies of the Entergy utility companies - Entergy Arkansas, Inc.; Entergy Gulf States Louisiana, LLC; Entergy Louisiana, LLC; Entergy Mississippi, Inc.; Entergy New Orleans, Inc.; Entergy Texas, Inc.; and Entergy Services, Inc.

The company became aware of the investigation during the required Hart-Scott-Rodino anti-trust proceedings necessary to complete Entergy Louisiana's pending purchase of the Acadia generation units. Although the DOJ recently informed Entergy Louisiana that it will allow the relevant HSR waiting period to expire without action (and that period has since expired), thereby permitting the acquisition to proceed from DOJ's perspective, the DOJ also informed Entergy that it has opened a civil investigation of competitive issues concerning certain generation procurement, dispatch and transmission system practices and policies of Entergy's utility companies. The DOJ's present inquiry has no effect on the HSR clearance of the Acadia acquisition.

The investigation is just beginning, and no conclusion has been reached that the Entergy utility companies have done anything improper. Entergy believes that its practices and policies, which have been subject to thorough review and regulation by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, state electric utility regulatory commissions and local regulators, have satisfied all applicable laws and regulations. The Entergy utility companies are cooperating with the DOJ.

Entergy Corporation is an integrated energy company engaged primarily in electric power production and retail distribution operations. Entergy owns and operates power plants with approximately 30,000 megawatts of electric generating capacity, and it is the second-largest nuclear generator in the United States. Entergy delivers electricity to 2.7 million utility customers in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. Entergy has annual revenues of more than $10 billion and more than 15,000 employees.

Entergy's online address is entergy.com

SOURCE Entergy Corporation