Cleco Receives National Award for Outstanding Emergency Storm Response; Utility Recognized for 40 Days of Restoration Work after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

PINEVILLE, La. -- Cleco Power, a subsidiary of Cleco Corp. (NYSE:CNL), received the Edison Electric Institute (EEI) Emergency Response Award today for its outstanding emergency storm response to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005. EEI presented the award during a luncheon at their CEO Conference in Scottsdale, Ariz.

Praising the company's swift action, EEI President Tom Kuhn said, "It is truly a privilege to present this award to Cleco. The men and women of the electric power industry often go above and beyond the call of duty in times of great adversity," he said. "This award is a tribute to that spirit of service."

EEI presents emergency response and assistance awards annually to U.S. and foreign-based member companies to recognize superior efforts in restoring electric service that has been disrupted by severe weather conditions or other natural events. Winners are chosen by a panel of judges following a national and international nomination process.

"We are extremely pleased to be one of the recipients of this award," said Mike Madison, president and CEO of Cleco Corp. "This award validates our storm response. Both storms tested our strength and endurance. The damage from Katrina was catastrophic and far exceeded anything we've ever experienced. Rita hit as we were wrapping up our recovery efforts in southeast Louisiana, which meant we couldn't give up. Although tired because of Katrina, our employees kept working. Their commitment and dedication earned us this award."

Hurricane Katrina made landfall Aug. 29 as a Category 3 storm, leaving 86,403 Cleco customers in south and southeast Louisiana without power. Hurricane Rita made landfall Sept. 24, also as a Category 3 storm. Rita left more than half of the company's customer base - 136,584 customers - without power.

"While we are being honored for our performance, we want to thank our customers for their patience and many acts of kindness as we worked to get the lights back on," said Dilek Samil, president and COO of Cleco Power. "There are so many stories of customers providing hot meals and a place for our crews to sleep due to the shortage of hotel rooms. We're also grateful to the numerous businesses and city officials that helped us house the mutual assistance crews, line contractors and tree trimmers who came to our aid."

This is Cleco's second emergency response award. The company received the first award in 2003 for its performance after Hurricane Lili. Cleco also has received two emergency assistance awards - one for providing assistance after Hurricane Isabel and the other for helping restore power to the millions of customers in Florida, Alabama and Mississippi who were affected by Hurricanes Charley, Frances, Ivan and Jeanne.

EEI is the association of U.S. shareholder-owned electric companies, international affiliates, and industry associates worldwide.

Cleco Corp. is an energy services company headquartered in Pineville, La. It operates a regulated electric utility company that serves about 265,000 customers across Louisiana. Cleco also operates a wholesale energy business that has more than 1,400 megawatts of generating capacity. For more information about Cleco, visit www.cleco.com.