CONTACT INFORMATION

EDMONTON, AB, CANADA, April 29, 2004 - ATCO I-Tek announced that it will enter into a $400 - $500 million, 10 year contract with Direct Energy Marketing Limited (DEML) on May 4, 2004, after the close of the transfer of the retail energy supply businesses of ATCO Gas and ATCO Electric to DEML. The ATCO I-Tek contract will provide billing and customer care services to more than one million Alberta customers. After the fifth anniversary, DEML has the option to pay cancellation fees to break the contract.

ATCO I-Tek's proven ability to provide superior customer care and billing service in both the regulated and retail energy marketplaces was key to DEML choosing ATCO I-Tek as their service provider.

"ATCO I-Tek is an industry leader in delivering service excellence," said Lori Topp, Senior Vice President, Western Region, Direct Energy Marketing Limited. "We have been working closely with ATCO I-Tek's project team on implementation and we are confident this relationship will add value to our customers and will support a smooth transition to DEML over the next few months."

Direct Energy Marketing Limited, a subsidiary of Centrica plc, a leading U.K.-based supplier of energy and home services with more than 45 million customer relationships worldwide, is North America's largest competitive energy retailer.

"We are extremely pleased to be working with DEML in this market," said Bobbi Lambright, President of ATCO I-Tek. "DEML is a world-class energy retailer and we're excited about the opportunity to put our service and technology strengths together with their retail experience.

ATCO I-Tek, an Alberta-based company, headquartered in Edmonton, employs about 850 people, including 180 new positions created to carry out the DEML contract. ATCO I-Tek delivers excellence in information technology, customer care and billing services to a diverse client group in Canada, providing competitive services in three key areas:

• Complete billing, call centre and customer care services
• Complete technology infrastructure lifecycle management including desktop, server, network, voice and call centre technologies and
• Business applications development, integration, maintenance and enhancement services

ATCO I-Tek has provided accurate, timely utility bills in Alberta's competitive energy market for the past five years. Using an exclusive customer-focused billing system, custom-designed and developed by ATCO I-Tek, the company produces more than 12 million monthly utility bills each year, handles 2.1 million customer calls and collects more than $2 billion in revenue on behalf of its clients.

ATCO I-Tek is a member of the Alberta based ATCO Group, a worldwide organization of companies actively engaged in Power Generation, Utilities, Logistics and Energy Services, Technologies and Industrials. More information about ATCO I-Tek can be found at www.atcoitek.com.

Direct Energy Marketing Limited is a wholly owned subsidiary of U.K.-based Centrica plc. In 2000, Centrica entered the North American market by acquiring DEML, which, upon completion of the Alberta transaction, will supply energy and other related services and products to almost 4 million Canadians.

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