27th Jul 2006 07:00
Scottish & Southern Energy PLC27 July 2006 27 July 2006 SCOTTISH AND SOUTHERN ENERGY PLC SEVEN MILLION CUSTOMERS Scottish and Southern Energy plc ("SSE") will tell its shareholders at itsAnnual General Meeting later today (27 July) that it has achieved seven millionenergy supply-related customers for the first time. This represents an increase of: 2.5 million (55%) since the start of 2002;900,000 (15%) since the start of the last financial year in April 2005; and300,000 (4.5%) since the start of the current financial year in April 2006. The increase has re-inforced SSE's position as the third largest supplier ofelectricity and gas in the UK. It supplies electricity and gas under SouthernElectric, Scottish Hydro Electric, SWALEC and Atlantic brands. Ian Marchant, Chief Executive of SSE, said: "There is no doubt that a significant part of this growth has resulted from ourpolicy of protecting our domestic customers from the worst impacts of thevolatile wholesale energy prices and delaying for as long as possible any priceincreases for gas and electricity. By delaying price increases in this way, we have saved a typical gas andelectricity customer around £100 since the start of 2004, compared with whatthey would have paid had we increased prices at the same time as the UK'slargest energy supplier. We have also sought to deliver best-in-sector service to customers and thelatest statistics from industry watchdog energywatch showed we have the lowestlevel of complaints across all categories. In a highly competitive market, in which increasing numbers of customers arechanging suppliers, maintaining growth will be challenging. A big priority forus over the next 18 months is to ensure that we provide the right levels ofservice and value for our existing customers while continuing to attract newcustomers. This involves extending the range of value-adding products we offerto customers such as the new gas boiler service we launched last month." For further information: Dennis Kirby Scottish and Southern 0870 9000 410 Andrew Dowler Financial Dynamics 020 7831 3113 This information is provided by RNS The company news service from the London Stock ExchangeRelated Shares:
SSE