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Constellation Energy to Acquire Texas Residential Energy Supplier And Expand National Residential Customer Base

^{Published on 2011-05-27 05:06:23 - Market Wire}
 

BALTIMORE--([ BUSINESS WIRE ])--Constellation Energy (NYSE: CEG), a leading competitive energy provider, today announced it has signed a definitive merger agreement to acquire 100 percent of StarTex Power, a Houston retail electric provider with approximately 170,000 customers.

"We are thrilled to marry our exceptional customer service model with Constellation Energya™s brand of trusted service and price protection to extend our customer service expertise beyond the Texas border."

The purchase of StarTex Power for $142.5 million in an all-cash transaction gives Constellation Energy a foothold in the Texas mass market, the most active of all residential markets in the country, and is a key element of the companya™s broader strategy to be a residential sector market leader.

aStarTex Power brings award-winning service for residential and commercial customers to Constellation Energya™s growing residential platform,a said Mark Huston, head of Constellation Energya™s retail business. aThe StarTex Power acquisition strengthens our commitment to choice and innovation for customers, continues Constellation Energya™s systematic retail expansion, and brings an employee base that has helped the company win significant awards from rating companies and the Better Business Bureau.a

Bob Zlotnik, president and chief executive officer of StarTex Power, said, aWe are thrilled to marry our exceptional customer service model with Constellation Energya™s brand of trusted service and price protection to extend our customer service expertise beyond the Texas border.a

StarTex Power is the sole retail electric provider to be awarded the 2010 and 2011 Better Business Bureau Pinnacle Award and was named the #1 Fastest Growing Energy Company in 2009 by Inc. Magazine. StarTex Power has also been ranked among the top 10 Best Places to Work by the Houston Business Journal for four consecutive years.

The addition of StarTex Powera™s residential and commercial customers will move Constellation a step closer to its goal of 1 million mass market customers by the end of 2011. Further, the acquisition gives Constellation a leading presence in the most vibrant competitive market in the nation a" Texas. Approximately 5.4 million residential customers in the Texas ERCOT market shop for an electricity provider, the highest in the nation. Other top 10 competitive energy shopping states include Ohio, New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland and New Jersey.

The StarTex Power acquisition comes two weeks after Constellation Energy [ announced ] a definitive agreement to acquire 100 percent of MXenergy, a Connecticut-based supplier of natural gas and electricity with more than half a million customers in 15 states and two provinces in Canada.

In addition to serving as an energy provider, Constellation Energy demonstrates its commitment to environmental stewardship and a clean energy future by delivering innovative energy solutions that help customers control energy use, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and utilize sources of renewable energy.

Credit Suisse acted as exclusive financial adviser to StarTex Power on the transaction.

About StarTex Power

StarTex Power, one of the nationa™s fastest growing retail electric providers in Texas, gives its customers the Star Treatment with competitive prices, transparent billing, and superior customer service. StarTex Power is the sole Retail Electric Provider to be awarded the 2010 and 2011 Better Business Bureau Pinnacle Award and was named the #1 Fastest Growing Energy Company in 2009 by Inc. Magazine. StarTex Power is employee owned and was the only Texas-based retail electric provider to be named a Top Small Company Workplace for 2010 by Inc. Magazine and Winning Workplaces. StarTex Power has been named among the top ten Best Places to Work by the Houston Business Journal for four consecutive years. Serving approximately 170,000 residential and commercial customers, StarTex Power is committed to upholding the highest standards in the retail electric industry.

About Constellation Energy

Constellation Energy ([ www.constellation.com ]) is a leading competitive supplier of power, natural gas and energy products and services for homes and businesses across the continental United States. It owns a diversified fleet of generating units, totaling approximately 12,000 megawatts of generating capacity, and is a leading advocate for clean, environmentally sustainable energy sources, such as solar power and nuclear energy. The company delivers electricity and natural gas through the Baltimore Gas and Electric Company (BGE), its regulated utility in Central Maryland. A FORTUNE 500 company headquartered in Baltimore, Constellation Energy had revenues of $14.3 billion in 2010.