Contact Energy Limited (Contact) announced today that it has entered into a new agreement with Maui Development Limited (MDL) to purchase between 22 and 26 petajoules of gas over a two-to-three year period. The new agreement replaces an agreement that expired at the end of 2014.

Contact's Chief Generation and Development Officer, James Kilty, said "The new Maui agreement, together with our existing contracted gas and reserves at our Ahuroa Gas Storage facility, provides Contact with additional flexibility around the way we use gas to run our thermal power stations. It's pleasing to have reached this agreement with MDL which extends our close relationship."

About Origin Energy

Origin Energy (ASX: ORG) is the leading Australian integrated energy company focused on gas and oil exploration and production, power generation and energy retailing. A member of the S&P/ASX 20 Index, the Company has approximately 6,700 employees and is a leading producer of gas in eastern Australia. Origin is Australia's largest energy retailer servicing 4.3 million electricity, natural gas and LPG customer accounts and has one of the country's largest and most flexible generation portfolios with approximately 6,010 MW of capacity, through either owned generation or contracted rights. Origin's strategic positioning and portfolio of assets provide flexibility, stability and significant opportunities for growth across the energy industry. Through Australia Pacific LNG, its incorporated joint venture with ConocoPhillips and Sinopec, Origin is developing one of Australia's largest CSG to LNG projects based on Australia's largest 2P CSG reserves base.

In New Zealand, Origin is the major shareholder in Contact Energy, a leading integrated energy company, operating geothermal, thermal and hydro generation facilities totalling 2,359 MW and servicing approximately 568,000 electricity, gas and LPG customers across both the North and South islands. Origin also operates several oil and gas projects in New Zealand and is one of the largest holders of petroleum exploration acreage in the country.

Origin has a strong focus on ensuring the sustainability of its operations, is the largest green energy retailer in Australia and has significant investments in renewable energy technologies.

distributed by