News Release


Contact:  Jeffrey R. Kotkin
Office:     (860) 665-5154

NU TRUSTEES AUTHORIZE SHARE REPURCHASE PROGRAM,
ELECT NEW TRUSTEES

     HARTFORD, Connecticut, July 10, 2001-The Northeast Utilities (NYSE-NU)
Board of Trustees today authorized the repurchase of up to 15 million common
shares by July 1, 2003 and announced the election of two new trustees.

     NU currently has nearly 134 million shares outstanding.  In the second
quarter of 2001, NU repurchased more than 10.3 million shares, including the
closing out of a 10.1-million forward share repurchase arrangement with two
financial institutions.  Those shares were repurchased on NU's behalf in
December 1999 and January 2000.  The board authorization that permitted the
repurchase of those shares expired on July 1, 2001.

     The new trustees are Richard H. Booth, president and chief executive
officer of Hartford Steam Boiler Inspection & Insurance Company of Hartford,
and James F. Cordes, former executive vice president of The Coastal
Corporation.

     Prior to joining Hartford Steam Boiler, an affiliate of American
International Group, Inc., Booth was executive vice president and a director
of Phoenix Home Life Mutual Insurance Company and previously, president,
chief operating officer and a director of The Travelers Corporation.

     Prior to his retirement in 1997, Cordes was responsible for Coastal's
interstate and intrastate natural gas pipelines and storage facilities,
natural gas and electricity marketing and risk management activities.
Previously, he was president of American Natural Resources Company, which
merged with Coastal in 1985.

     "We heartily welcome Richard Booth and James Cordes to our Board of
Trustees," said Michael G. Morris, NU chairman, president, and chief
executive officer.  "They will provide us with the deep experience in
financial markets, strategic planning, risk management oversight, and gas and
electric marketing  that integrated energy companies such as NU value so
greatly today."

     NU operates New England's largest energy delivery system with
approximately 1.8 million electric customers in Connecticut, New Hampshire,
and Massachusetts and approximately 187,000 natural gas distribution
customers in Connecticut and is one of the region's largest competitive
energy suppliers.