ADDING MULTIMEDIA NU-NSTAR Highlight Customer & Environmental Benefits of Merger (NU, NST)

The merger between Northeast Utilities NU and NSTAR NST has the potential to save customers $780 million in the first ten years, according to a filing made today by the utilities to the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities (MDPU). The document also highlights the environmental leadership of the two companies in response to a request for information on how the proposed merger will benefit customers as required by a recent change in the Department's merger review standard. Today's supplemental filing provides more detailed information about the customer and environmental benefits, as well as short-term and long-term savings anticipated to result from the merger. To satisfy the provisions of the new review standard adopted by the MDPU on March 10, both companies conducted a net benefit analysis to determine what overall savings will occur as a result of the merger.