Central Power & Light Co. to use new approach for involving customers in planning for the future.

DALLAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 17, 1996--Central and South West Corporation (NYSE:CSR) said that its Central Power and Light Company (CPL) subsidiary will soon become the first company to use a new approach to public involvement in its planning process. The new approach, known as "deliberative polling," moves well beyond the traditional methods used to gather public opinion.

Approximately 330 CPL customers from throughout the company's 44,000 square-mile service territory are expected to participate in the South Texas Town Meeting on Electricity Issues, the name given to the deliberative poll scheduled for the weekend of June 1-2 at Texas A&M University in Corpus Christi. Recruitment of customers selected as a part of the scientific random sample for the deliberative poll will begin next week.

Professor James Fishkin, chairman of the Government Department at the University of Texas at Austin, developed the concept of deliberative polling as an approach for determining informed public opinion. Deliberative polling has been used twice in England and once in the United States. Its most recent application was during the National Issues Convention held in Austin in January 1996. CPL will be the first company to use deliberative polling to determine customer opinion.

Deliberative polling is a survey process where a scientific sample of customers is brought together in one location for a weekend and given the opportunity to "deliberate" about the various options associated with the resource need. CPL will be using the approach in its efforts to develop an integrated resource plan to meet the future electric needs of its customers. By using a scientific sample, the opinions of the participants should represent the opinions of all CPL customers if it was possible to talk with each customer. CPL plans to use deliberative polling as part of its public participation efforts to involve customers in the development of its resource plan. Participants will examine the various choices that CPL must make in determining how to meet its future resource needs. The most immediate need will occur in the Rio Grande Valley, where CPL forecasts that approximately 200-400 megawatts of electricity will be needed during the 1999-2001 time frame. Because of the significant electric load growth in this area, CPL needs to select a resource mix to meet the projected electricity need.

Ordinary polls, surveys and focus groups examine what the public is thinking about issues at a particular time. A deliberative poll attempts to determine what the public would think about different issues if given an opportunity to learn more about all sides of those issues.

The three commissioners of the Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUCT) will be in Corpus Christi to participate in a roundtable discussion during the Saturday evening large group session. That session will be taped by KEDT, the local Public Broadcasting Station for later telecast.

Advocates and opponents of competing resource options, such as natural gas generation and wind generation, are involved in developing the briefing materials for participants and will serve as panelists during CPL's town meeting. The deliberative poll will alternate between large group settings involving the entire group and small groups of 15-20 people.

Participants in CPL's deliberative poll will be surveyed about their views on electricity issues prior to the town meeting and then once again at the conclusion of the meeting to determine whether their opinions on the issues have changed and to what extent. Through this process, participants will be asked to make value judgments about the options associated with different resource choices.

CPL will consider and evaluate all of the information learned from its customers when developing the company's integrated resource plan. CPL is scheduled to submit its integrated resource plan to the PUCT by September 1.

CONTACT: Central Power & Light

(Media) Larry Jones, 214/683-3703 or

(Financial) Sharon R. Peavy, 214/777-1277,

(Internet) [e-mail], Central and South West Corp.