CONTACT INFORMATION

SPL WorldGroup
www.splwg.com

Tracey Mitchell
tracey_mitchell@splwg.com
(973) 401-7525

SAN FRANCISCO, CA, August 17, 2005 – SPL WorldGroup, a leading provider of mission-critical software solutions for the global utility market, is pleased to announce that several of their customers have earned some of the highest rankings in the prestigious J.D. Power and Associates 2005 Electric Utility Residential Customer Satisfaction StudySM.

The study targets the 78 largest electric utilities within the continental U.S. with its findings serving as a benchmark for the industry. Results are broken down into four geographic regions, as well as a category for medium-sized utilities. Performance criteria are ranked in five categories: power quality and reliability, company image, price and value, billing and payment, and customer service.

SPL client, Omaha Public Power District (OPPD) ranked highest in the medium-size utility segment for the fourth consecutive year. Colorado Springs Utilities joined OPPD in the top five rankings in the medium-size utility segment. Other SPL clients also received some of the highest scores:

• LG&E Energy achieved the highest ranking in the Midwestern Region for the sixth time in seven years, outperforming all other utilities in the region in four of the five performance criteria. MidAmerican Energy, Cinergy, and Alliant Energy rounded out the number two, three, and four overall satisfaction rankings for the Midwestern Region.
• Duke Power improved their rating from last year to achieve the highest rank in overall customer satisfaction in the Southern Region, and performed strongly in other categories. Southern Company also ranked high in the Southern Region achieving the number three spot for overall customer satisfaction.
• In the Western Region, PacifiCorp made a strong showing, breaking into the top five.

“J.D. Power and Associates is respected globally in presenting objective and unbiased surveys and results. Their annual survey of customer satisfaction in the residential utility industry is one of the most thorough in measuring the customer experience,” commented Jon T. Brock, Chief Operating Officer, UtiliPoint International, Inc. “Customer satisfaction excellence is created at dozens of touch points throughout an organization. Most utilities that excel in customer satisfaction have strategically integrated streamlined and efficient processes across their customer service organization and IT enterprise. Integrated operational software solutions are one way to offer value and efficiency to utilities looking to achieve that end.”

“SPL’s absolute commitment is to provide our clients with the optimal tools to enhance their customer satisfaction and operational efficiencies. Our suite of best-in-class solutions has been engineered with that end in mind,” said Dave Mulit, SPL’s general manager for the Americas. “We’re proud of and congratulate our clients whose same dedication to a quality customer experience has earned them such high rankings in the J.D. Power and Associates annual Electric Utility Residential Customer Satisfaction Study.”

Editorial Note: J.D. Power and Associates states that its study results “are based on customer responses from more than 26,700 telephone interviews conducted from April 7, 2005, through June 5, 2005, among residential customers of the 78 largest electric utilities across the continental United States.”

Further information on and analysis of this J.D. Power and Associates study can be found in the August 11, 2005 Chartwell Customer Care Research Series Intelligence Update report.

About SPL
SPL (www.splwg.com) delivers the proven software applications that help utilities around the world achieve competitive advantage and excellence in business performance, while ensuring a lower total cost of technology ownership. SPL solutions in customer care and billing, enterprise asset and work management, mobile workforce management, and outage and distribution management are specifically designed for energy, water, and service companies. Working with systems-integration and technology partners around the world, SPL has an unparalleled record of implementation success. SPL focuses on clients’ return on investment and fosters long-term relationships based on confidence and trust. Visit SPL at www.splwg.com or call +1-866-468-6775 (San Francisco), +44-207-851-6840 (London), or +61-2-8258-8200 (Sydney). Within the US and Canada, call +1-800-275-4775.

©2005 SPL WorldGroup, Inc. All Rights Reserved. SPL is a trademark owned by SPL WorldGroup B.V. or its subsidiaries. SPL is registered as a trademark in the United States and in certain other jurisdictions. All other trademarks and brand, product and company names herein are used for identification purposes only and are the property of their respective owners.

# # #