MINNEAPOLIS, July 10, 2001 (BUSINESS WIRE)—NRG Energy, Inc. (NYSE:NRG) announced that it has signed a purchase agreement with Indeck Energy Services, Inc. for a 2,255 megawatt (MW) project portfolio. The portfolio includes combined-cycle and peaking power plants that primarily serve the Chicago energy market. NRG expects the acquisition to achieve financial close this month.

The assets include the Rockford I and II Energy Centers, located 75 miles west of Chicago in Rockford, Ill; Bourbonnais I and II Energy Centers, located 50 miles south of Chicago; and the Ilion Energy Center, located in central upstate New York.

"The acquisition of these assets complements NRG's strategy of developing significant generation with the Chicago-St. Louis-New Orleans corridor," said David H. Peterson, NRG's chairman and chief executive officer. "This marks a new development in our long relationship with Indeck as they are now providing project development services to NRG."

"With this acquisition of a mix of peaking and intermediate facilities, NRG continues to build on its strategy of growing a diverse generation portfolio," said Craig A. Mataczynski, president and CEO of NRG North America. "This acquisition, combined with the LS Power project portfolio acquisition completed earlier this year, and our South Central region assets, will allow NRG greater trading flexibility and will enable us to capture greater value from the marketplace."

Click here for project list. NRG is a leading global energy company engaged primarily in the acquisition, development, construction, ownership and operation of power generation facilities. NRG owns 21,612 MW of generating assets in operation and under construction. The company's operations utilize such diverse fuel sources as natural gas, oil, coal and coal seam methane, biomass, landfill gas, and hydro, as well as refuse-derived fuel.

Certain statements included in this news release are forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934. Although NRG believes that its expectations are reasonable, it can give no assurance that these expectations will prove to have been correct. Factors that could cause NRG's actual results to differ materially from that contemplated in the forward-looking statements above include, among others, the business or investment considerations disclosed from time to time in NRG's Securities and Exchange Commission filings or in other publicly disseminated written documents.

NRG undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. For more information, review NRG's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

More information on NRG is available at www.nrgenergy.com

Contacts:

NRG Energy, Inc.

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Meredith Moore, 612/373-8892

Investor Relations
Rick Huckle, 612/313-8900