Direct Energy to Hire 200 People for Key Positions

HOUSTON, April 11, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Direct Energy, one of North America's largest energy and energy-related service providers, will hold a job fair on April 18 to fill approximately 200 jobs being created as part of its decision to relocate its head office to Houston, Texas from Toronto, Ontario.  According to the Greater Houston Partnership, the annual economic impact of the new jobs and Direct Energy's head office relocation to Houston is $56.1 million*.

"The relocation of our corporate head office to Houston will allow us to focus our attention on the growth opportunities for our business across North America, where competitive energy markets are thriving, particularly in Texas," said Badar Khan, Houston-based President of Direct Energy Upstream. "Over the last decade, Direct Energy has successfully grown through acquisition and organically in the U.S., entering more than 20 new markets in the last 12 months. It's an exciting time to join Direct Energy, as we will continue this growth strategy through 2012."

"Direct Energy is a perfect fit in Houston since we are the nation's energy hub, but more important are the new jobs being created here," said Houston Mayor Annise D. Parker. "It's a direct reflection of Houston's energy and business atmosphere. As Houston's good reputation spreads in the business world, international companies like Direct Energy are encouraged to move their corporate headquarters here."

Direct Energy has positions available across a number of industries, including finance, administration, information systems, human resources, legal, procurement, internal communications, analytics and project management. To view a list of available positions, visit www.directyourenergy.com. Potential new recruits can meet the team at the Direct Energy job fair:

What: Direct Energy Job Fair
When: April 18th, 5 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Where: Renaissance Hotel Ballroom, 6 Greenway Plaza East
Pre-register at: http://bit.ly/DECareers

Direct Energy's Residential Energy and Upstream and Trading businesses have been based in Houston for over 10 years and the company currently employs more than 2000 employees across Texas.  The relocation is expected to be completed in the next 12 months.

About Direct Energy
Direct Energy is one of North America's largest energy and energy-related services providers with over 6 million residential and commercial customer relationships. Through its Direct Energy, First Choice Power, CPL Retail Energy and WTU Retail Energy brands, the company is the third-largest retail electricity provider in Texas. It owns three power generation facilities and a series of energy-related services. Direct Energy provides customers with choice and support in managing their energy costs through a portfolio of innovative products and services. A subsidiary of Centrica plc (LSE:CNA), one of the world's leading integrated energy companies, Direct Energy operates in 46 states and 10 provinces in Canada. To learn more about Direct Energy, visit www.directenergy.com/Texas.

Notes:
*The economic impact assessment by the Greater Houston Partnership is calculated using the Regional Input—Output Modeling System II (RIMS-II). This is a standard model developed by the Bureau of Economic Analysis and used by economists nationwide to calculate the impacts of various projects.

SOURCE Direct Energy