PRESS RELEASE

January 23, 2003 - Competitive Energy Services Announces New "Green" Power Option for Maine Residential and Small Businesses Consumers

Competitive Energy Services, LLC ("CES"), of Portland, Maine, announced today that it is now selling "Green Power" to Maine residential and small businesses consumers. The product is being sold through Maine Renewable Energy ("MRE"), an affiliate of Competitive Energy Services and in partnership with Maine Interfaith Power and Light ("MeIPL").

Richard Silkman, Managing Partner of Competitive Energy Services, said, "Today, we are helping to bring the promise of competitive electricity markets to Maine homes and small businesses by offering Mainers a choice of where their electricity comes from. Our product is 100% renewable and 100% generated within the State of Maine. By choosing to buy Maine Renewable Energy, Maine homes and businesses will have a positive impact on Maine's environment by reducing air pollution and greenhouse gases; they will help sustain small generators in Maine; and they will help keep energy dollars in the State, where they can be used to create jobs for Mainers and increase our State's energy independence."

Maine Renewable Energy is electricity that has been generated solely from small hydro-electric generating plants of less than 30 MW capacity and from wood-fired biomass generating plants, all located in Maine, with a minimum of 50% of the electricity generated from these facilities coming from the hydro-electric plants. As such, Maine Renewable Energy is the "cleanest" electricity offered for sale today in Maine. Compared to the electricity now purchased by virtually all Maine households and small businesses, Maine Renewable Energy creates 92% less Carbon dioxide emissions - a primary contributor to greenhouse gases and therefore global warming, 42% less Nitrogen oxide - the primary contributor of ground-level smog or "ozone" and 99% less Sulfur dioxide, a major contributor to acid rain.

"We are extremely excited to be able to offer Maine Renewable Energy to Maine households and small businesses and to be working with Maine Interfaith Power and Light in this endeavor," said Silkman. "MeIPL is a partner with us and will market Maine Renewable Energy to their members and others interested in promoting green power. We have been so impressed by their commitment to their cause that we have pledged 10% of our profits from Maine Renewable Energy to them to help promote other zero emission electricity generation projects in Maine."

"MeIPL has been working for two years to try to interest electricity suppliers to offer a green power option for Mainers. We are delighted that finally Maine Renewable Energy, a small electricity supplier based in Portland, has been able to do what no large national energy company could - and that is offer a product that we believe benefits Maine in very important ways," said Erika Morgan, a consultant for MeIPL and coordinator for this initiative. "We have been impressed with the time and effort that Maine Renewable Energy has put into the development of this green power option and are pleased to endorse it to our members. We are also pleased that Maine Renewable Energy has agreed to donate 10% of its profits from the sale of this product to Maine Interfaith Power and Light to help us further our goals of cleaning the air we all breath."

Maine Renewable Energy will sell initially for 6.5 cents per kWh. For typical Maine households that use 500 kWh per month, this will mean an increase in their monthly bill of $7.50, or about 25 cents a day. "While this product costs a little more than Standard Offer Service, we believe that many Mainers will be willing to pay this small premium - about 25 cents per day - for reduced pollution, job preservation and increased energy independence," said Silkman.

How to Sign Up to Purchase Maine Renewable Energy:

• If you are a residential or small business customer of either Central Maine Power (CMP) or Bangor Hydro Electric (BHE), you are eligible to purchase Maine Renewable Energy.
  
  
• You may purchase Maine Renewable Energy either on-line at www.energymaine.com, by calling us in Portland at 772-6190, or by contacting MeIPL at (207) 729-9665 or on the web at www.meipl.org.
  
  
• Please make sure that you have a copy of your electric bill from either CMP or BHE as you need to provide your electricity account number - which is on your bill - in order to enroll.
  
  
• There is no fee to switch to Maine Renewable Energy, and there will be no break in electricity service.