PRINCETON, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 28, 2005--NRG Energy, Inc. (NYSE:NRG), owner of Big Cajun II, a 1,489 megawatt electric generating facility in New Roads, Louisiana announced a $100,000 donation to The Baton Rouge Foundation to help with restoration efforts in affected communities served by NRG.

"We're proud of the financial and technical support offered by our colleagues in Louisiana and throughout the country following the storm," said David Crane, NRG President and Chief Executive Officer. "NRG is eager to do all it can to restore a sense of normalcy to the areas affected by the storm."

Since Katrina and Rita hit the Gulf Coast, NRG and its 1,840 employees have organized the following efforts:

    --  3:1 matching gift - NRG is tripling employee donations. Nearly
        $334,000 has been collected and will be donated to various
        hurricane relief organizations.

    --  Food and supplies - NRG and our employees have collected more
        than three tons of food and supplies to ship to a shelter in
        Pointe Coupee Parish, near the Big Cajun II facility, that is
        housing evacuees. Over 2.5 tons of goods have already been
        shipped.

    --  Charity auction & raffle - NRG used its annual company picnic,
        on September 16, as an opportunity to raise money for the
        Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank. An auction and raffle, all
        matched by the Company, raised $44,000 for the charity.

    --  Technical expertise - In addition to financial support, NRG
        assisted the electrical cooperatives we serve in Louisiana to
        rebuild their infrastructure and restore power in a timely
        manner. NRG extended our microwave network, and lent satellite
        phones to our coop customers, when the storm first hit to
        allow emergency and local officials to communicate with the
        Louisiana Office of Emergency Preparedness and other recovery
        agencies. The Company also purchased eight portable generators
        to provide back up power for some of NRG's cooperative
        customers affected by the storm.

NRG Energy, Inc. operates and provides wholesale power to cooperatives, municipalities, and investor-owned utilities throughout Louisiana. NRG also owns and operates a diverse portfolio of power-generating facilities, primarily in the Northeast, South Central and Western regions of the United States. NRG also has ownership interests in generating facilities in Australia and Germany.

    CONTACT: NRG Energy, Inc.
             Jay Mandel, 609-524-4525
             or
             Meredith Moore, 609-524-4522

    SOURCE: NRG Energy, Inc.