RWE Innogy Selects Verano's Linux-based Performux

RWE INNOGY SELECTS VERANO'S LINUX-BASED PERFORMUX FOR CORE OF POWER
GENERATION CONTROL SYSTEM

Real-Time Plant Intelligence Platform Lowers Costs While Offering Secure,
Internet-Enabled Management of Critical Industrial Operations

MANSFIELD, Mass., December 16, 2003-Leading UK energy company, RWE Innogy
has installed Verano's Performux, a real-time plant intelligence software
platform, at three of its coal-fired power stations in the UK, which
generate 4550 megawatts of electricity-approximately half of the company's
total capacity.  Based on Verano's Real-Time Applications Platform (RTAP),
Performux is the first Linux-based, plant operations software platform to
offer secure, Internet-enabled management of critical industrial
operations.  This installation is the first step in transitioning all of
RWE Innogy's APMS power generation control systems to Linux.

For the past eight years, RWE Innogy (formerly National Power) has relied
on Verano's RTAP to provide a flexible and reliable SCADA platform for its
power generation control system as the core of the Advanced Plant
Management System (APMS), developed by Innogy and Thales Information
Systems in 1995.  An indispensable foundation for APMS, Verano's RTAP
integrated the company's diverse control system, business and support data,
delivered it to control desk operators in real-time and provided a solid
core for future application enhancements.  Performux will serve the same
function, though now on the more portable, scalable and secure Linux
operating system.

"Having the existing Verano RTAP solution in place made the move to
Performux a natural progression and migration, allowing us to avoid
expensive re-engineering costs associated with other control systems," said
Andrew Lichnowski, manager of the process control systems group at RWE
Innogy.  "We are confident that the reliability and performance of Verano's
RTAP system will be mirrored in Performux."

Performux and APMS are now installed on operator workstations at RWE
Innogy's power stations at Didcot, Aberthaw and Tilbury, which run a total
of 10 power generation units.  This transition to Linux will enable the
company to lower capital and maintenance costs and simplify its hardware
support.

"RWE Innogy's commitment to Performux is yet another indication of a
general industry trend of Linux acceptance in mission-critical industrial
operations," said Brian Ahern, president and CEO of Verano.  "Utility
industries, such as electric power, are challenged with maintaining the
highest levels of operational standards with limited capital budgets.
Verano's Performux platform is the mechanism by which customers can reduce
plant automation operating and maintenance costs without compromising the
most critical success factors of availability and reliability."

Performux Features
Performux is a fully featured and customizable SCADA and Plant Data
Aggregation software platform offering secure, Internet-enabled management
monitoring and control of critical industrial operations within utilities,
transportation, energy and process industries.  It is built on the Red Hat
Linux Advanced Server, the first Linux platform designed specifically for
and certified by top enterprise software vendors.  It enables companies to
collect, manage, visualize and integrate real-time data from a variety of
automated operations.  Performux's sophisticated alarm and event management
features provide business managers, knowledge workers and operations
personnel up-to-the minute information on market drivers such as production
outages, demand and usage data, facilitating optimal efficiency, better
management and cost-efficient performance.  Additional information on
Performux is available on the Web at www.verano.com.

About RWE Innogy
RWE Innogy, Plc. a division of the RWE Group, is a leading integrated UK
energy company.  RWE Innogy operates and manages a portfolio of flexible,
low-cost coal, oil and gas-fired power stations.  Gas and electricity is
supplied to domestic consumers and commercial and industrial users through
the retail business npower.  RWE Innogy also provides specialist services
to other power plant owners and operators around the world, with expertise
in improving power station reliability and efficiency and environmental
management to deliver optimal commercial performance.

About Verano
Verano, Inc. is a leading provider of cyber-security management and control
solutions for mission-critical industrial operations.  Verano is a trusted
supplier to more than 220 industrial enterprises in power generation,
utilities, energy, transportation and process manufacturing industries.
These customers represent more than 2,200 global system installations 

A privately held company founded in 1996, Verano is headquartered in
Mansfield, Massachusetts, with a major operation in Calgary, Canada.
Additional information about Verano is available on the Web at
www.verano.com.

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