Entergy Corporation
639 Loyola Avenue
New Orleans, LA 70113
Exhibit 99.2
News
Release
Date: June 14, 2002
For Release: Immediate
Contact: Yolanda Pollard (Media) Nancy Morovich (Investor Relations)
(504) 576-4238 (504) 576-5506
ypollar@entergy.com nmorovi@entergy.com
Entergy Affirms 2002 Earnings Guidance;
Announces 2003 Earnings Guidance
New Orleans, La. - Entergy Corporation (NYSE: ETR) announced
today that it expects 2003 operational earnings in the range of
$3.75 to $3.95 per share. Entergy also affirmed that it expects
2002 operational earnings per share to be in the range of $3.40 to
$3.60, consistent with its first quarter 2002 earnings release. The
company's guidance on 2003 earnings represents 10 percent growth
over the midpoint of 2002 guidance, and is at the high end of
Entergy's long-term commitment of 8 to 10 percent average annual
earnings growth.
"The guidance reflects continued strength at our core utility
business as well as double-digit growth in the unregulated
businesses," said C. John Wilder, Entergy's chief financial
officer. "Despite challenges in the economic environment, we expect
to maintain solid earnings growth through 2003. Our current
estimate for 2003 operational earnings guidance reflects 10 percent
growth over 2002 and about 15 percent growth since 1998. Our plan
calls for achieving this growth while maintaining our commitment to
financial strength."
Entergy is a major global energy company with power
production, distribution operations and related diversified
services. Entergy owns, manages, or invests in power plants
generating more than 30,000 megawatts of electricity domestically
and internationally, and delivers electricity to about 2.6 million
customers in portions of Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and
Texas. Through Entergy-Koch, L.P., it is also a leading provider
of wholesale energy marketing and trading services.
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Entergy's online address is www.entergy.com
The following constitutes a "Safe Harbor" statement under the
Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995: Investors are
cautioned that forward-looking statements contained herein with
respect to the revenues, earnings, performance, strategies,
prospects and other aspects of the business of Entergy Corporation
or its affiliated companies may involve risks and uncertainties. A
number of factors could cause actual results or outcomes to differ
materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements.
These factors include, but are not limited to, risks and
uncertainties relating to: the effects of weather, the performance
of generating units and transmission systems, the possession of
nuclear materials, fuel and purchased power prices and
availability, the effects of regulatory decisions and changes in
law, litigation, capital spending requirements, and the
availability of capital, the onset of competition, the ability to
recover net regulatory assets and other potential stranded costs,
the effects of recent developments in the California electricity
market on the utility industry nationally, advances in technology,
changes in accounting standards, corporate restructuring and
changes in capital structure, the success of new business ventures,
changes in the markets for electricity and other energy-related
commodities, including the use of financial and derivative
instruments and volatility of changes in market prices, changes in
interest rates and in financial and foreign currency markets
generally, the economic climate and growth in Entergy's service
territories, changes in corporate strategies, actions of rating
agencies, and other factors.