ROCHESTER, N.Y., Jan. 17 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Mother Nature often showed her nasty side last year, but there was a plus to the record precipitation some parts of the state received: The increase in the volume of water in rivers combined with strategic investments by NYSEG and RG&E has resulted in higher-than-expected amounts of environmentally-friendly electricity from the companies' hydroelectric generating plants. NYSEG's hydroelectric generating plants at High Falls, Cadyville, Mill C and Kents Falls on the Saranac River; Rainbow Falls on the Ausable River; and Mechanicville on the Hudson River produced more than 360,000 megawatt-hours (mwh) of electricity in 2006, a 10% increase over 2005 and the most electricity produced at those plants in more than 20 years. RG&E's three hydroelectric generating plants on the Genesee River produced 260,000 mwh of electricity in 2006, a 21% increase over 2005 and the most electricity produced in nearly 15 years. Assuming that a typical home uses 7,200 kilowatt- hours of electricity each year, these plants together produced enough electricity in 2006 for nearly 90,000 homes. Because NYSEG's and RG&E's hydroelectric generation reduces the need for electricity from traditional fossil-fuel sources, there is a direct benefit to the environment from the optimization of these plants. In 2006, the electricity generated at these hydroelectric plants avoided 408,000 tons of carbon dioxide (CO2), 2,100 tons of sulfur dioxide and 570 tons of nitrogen oxides emissions. The CO2 emissions avoided are the equivalent of planting 55 million trees or avoiding more than 700 million miles of automobile use. "We are committed to doing all that we can to protect the environment, and our investment in our hydroelectric generating stations is a testament to that commitment," said Jim Laurito, president and CEO of NYSEG and RG&E. "We are proud of these plants and the people who maintain and operate them, and we will continue to focus on maximizing the output of these environmentally- friendly plants." In order to ensure optimal performance, NYSEG and RG&E will continue to invest in equipment upgrades at the plants. About NYSEG and RG&E: NYSEG and RG&E are subsidiaries of Energy East Corporation [NYSE: EAS], a super-regional energy services and delivery company in the Northeast. NYSEG serves 860,000 electricity customers and 254,000 natural gas customers across more than 40% of upstate New York. RG&E serves 359,000 electricity customers and 296,000 natural gas customers in a nine- county region centered on the City of Rochester. By providing outstanding customer service, promoting competition and focusing on growth, NYSEG and RG&E will continue to be valuable assets to the communities they serve. For more information, visit nyseg.com and rge.com. DATASOURCE: NYSEG; RG&E CONTACT: NYSEG - Clayton Ellis, +1-607.762.7336, RG&E - Dick Marion, +1-585.771.2230 Web site: http://www.nyseg.com/ http://www.rge.com/

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