The Connecticut Light and Power Company
P.O. Box 270
Hartford, CT 06141-0270
(860) 947-2000

www.cl-p.com

News Release

Contacts: Frank Poirot (CL&P) Samantha Crowley (UI)
Office: 860-665-3409 (203) 623-7553

CL&P, UI Energize Middletown-Norwalk Project Ahead of Schedule
Helps meet reliability needs in southwest Connecticut and the region

BERLIN, CT, December 19, 2008 – The Connecticut Light and Power Company (CL&P), part of the Northeast Utilities System (NU), and The United Illuminating Company (UI), part of the UIL Corporation (UIL), today announced that the Middletown-Norwalk (M-N) transmission project has been energized, nearly one year ahead of schedule, improving reliability for Connecticut and the region’s electric customers.

The project – one of the largest electric infrastructure upgrades in the country – is a joint effort of CL&P and UI, and consists of 69 miles of 345-kilovolt (kV) high-voltage transmission lines through 18 Connecticut cities and towns. The project finished early and is expected to cost approximately $1.27 billion, significantly under budget, providing real savings for customers. Spanning seven-and-one-half years, the project completes a loop linking the southwest part of the state to the nearly 400 miles of 345-kV lines that already run through the rest of Connecticut.

“Energizing the Middletown-Norwalk project brings improved reliability for electric customers in Connecticut and the region,” said Charles W. Shivery, NU chairman, president and chief executive officer. “The Middletown-Norwalk project marks the closure of the southwest Connecticut transmission projects. These new transmission facilities enable us to meet national reliability standards, which provide a more secure regional transmission grid.”

Construction of the M-N project included 45 miles of overhead lines and 24 miles of underground lines, along with 57 miles of reconstructed 115-kV lines. In addition, the project’s stellar safety record – over 2.6 million man-hours worked in the last two-and-one-half years – was more than 10 times lower than the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ national average rate.

“Southwest Connecticut and the region enter a new era with this important transmission upgrade,” said James P. Torgerson, president and chief executive officer of UIL Holdings Corporation and UI chief executive officer. “The Middletown-Norwalk project is an example of how technology and partnership can help enhance electric reliability for the region.”

In energizing the project ahead of the original 2009 schedule, CL&P and UI acknowledged the extraordinary teamwork and cooperation from both companies; town officials; the Connecticut Department of Transportation; the Connecticut Siting Council; the Connecticut Department of Public Utility Control; the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection; the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission; the Army Corps of Engineers; and contractors Burns & McDonnell, PAR Electrical Contractors, Bond Brothers, Black & Veatch, McPhee Electric, J. Wm. Foley, Inc. and Siemens.

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The Connecticut Light and Power Company (CL&P) has been part of everyday life in Connecticut for more than 100 years, providing safe and reliable electric service to homes, neighborhoods and businesses. With more than 1.1 million customers in 149 cities and towns, CL&P is an active member in the communities it serves, offering programs in energy conservation, economic development and environmental education. CL&P is part of the Northeast Utilities System (NYSE: NU). For more information, please visit www.cl-p.com.

The United Illuminating Company (UI) is a New Haven-based regional distribution utility established in 1899. UI is engaged in the purchase, transmission, distribution and sale of electricity and related services to more than 320,000 residential, commercial and industrial customers in the Greater New Haven and Bridgeport areas. UI’s World Wide Web address is www.uinet.com. UI's parent company, UIL Holdings Corporation, is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol UIL.







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