Reliant Enters Into Definitive Agreement Related to Previously Announced Commitment With First Reserve

Reliant Energy (NYSE: RRI) today announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement with an affiliate of First Reserve Corporation related to Reliant's previously announced commitment for the issuance of $350 million of Reliant convertible preferred stock to First Reserve.

The company noted that the definitive agreement is based on the terms outlined in the commitment letter of September 29, 2008.

Further information including terms of the agreement may be found in the Investor section of Reliant's Web site. The company routinely posts all important information on its Web site.

Reliant Energy, Inc., based in Houston, provides electricity and energy services to retail and wholesale customers in the United States. The company provides service to approximately 1.8 million retail electricity customers primarily in Texas, including residential and small business customers. Reliant also serves commercial, industrial, governmental and institutional customers in Delaware, Illinois, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, and Washington, D.C.

The company is one of the largest independent power producers in the nation with more than 15,000 megawatts of power generation capacity across the United States. These strategically located generating assets use natural gas, fuel oil and coal. For more information, visit http://www.reliant.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Forward-looking statements are statements that contain projections, assumptions or estimates about our revenues, margins, capital structure and other financial items, our plans and objectives for future operations or about our future economic performance, financings or offerings. In many cases you can identify forward-looking statements by terminology such as "estimate," "believe," "may," "plan(s)," "should," "will," "expect," "outlook," "commitment(s)," "taking steps," "efforts" and other similar words. However, the absence of these words does not mean that the statements are not forward-looking.

Actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied by forward-looking statements as a result of many factors or events, including, but not limited to, ongoing negotiations, legislative, regulatory and/or market developments, the outcome of pending lawsuits, governmental proceedings and investigations, the effects of competition, financial market conditions, access to capital, the timing and extent of changes in commodity prices and interest rates, weather conditions and other factors we discuss or refer to in the "Risk Factors" section of our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Each forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date of the particular statement and we undertake no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Reliant Energy, Inc.
Pat Hammond, 713-497-7723 (media)
Dennis Barber, 713-497-3042 (investors)