Gateway Power Services offers relief from Ike

THE WOODLANDS, TEXAS - Gateway Power Services, an independent retail electric provider, is doing its part to aid victims of Hurricane Ike by extending a 60-day reprieve on bill payment to all of its customers in the Centerpoint Energy delivery area.

The company announced that any Gateway Power customer in Centerpoint's delivery area who has a balance, whether from a currently issued bill or a past-due bill, will receive 60 days of payment amnesty. Customers do not need to make a payment and will not incur any late charges from September 16 - November 16.

"The devastation caused by Ike will make it very difficult for some of our customers to pay their bills," stated Steven J. Maslak, Chief Executive Officer of Gateway Power's parent company, Gateway Energy Services Corporation. "Our customers and their well-being are critically important to us and helping them in this trying time is the responsibility of any good corporate citizen."

After November 16, the company plans to work closely with all of its customers in the Centerpoint area who cannot pay their bill to determine a reasonable deferred payment plan (DPP). A DPP allows customers to pay off an outstanding balance in manageable monthly installments.

Gateway Power was ranked in the top five independent electric providers this summer on the Public Utility Commission of Texas Customer Complaint Scorecard. This monthly report compares electric providers based on a ratio of complaints to number of customers.