Press Release

ENRON CORP. REPORTS 1997 SECOND QUARTER EARNINGS PER SHARE FROM OPERATIONS OF $0.40, ANNOUNCES REDUCED EARNINGS EXPECTATIONS AND PLANS A 10 MILLION SHARE REPURCHASE BY YEAR END

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Tuesday, July 15, 1997

HOUSTON -- Enron Corp. today reported second quarter 1997 primary earnings per share from operations of $0.40 after preferred dividends (exclusive of the non-recurring charges discussed below), compared to $0.46 in the second quarter of 1996. Income from operations in the second quarter of 1997 was $104 million (exclusive of the non-recurring charges) compared to net income of $117 million for the 1996 period. As previously announced, the 1997 second quarter results also include a non-recurring charge of $675 million pretax ($450 million after tax) or $1.81 per share, reflecting the full accounting for the impact of Enron's amended J-block contract in the U.K. North Sea. In addition, Enron also is taking a non-recurring charge of $100 million pretax ($74 million after tax) or $0.30 per share to reflect depressed MTBE margins. Including the one-time charges, Enron reported a loss of $1.71 per share or a $420 million net loss for the quarter.

Revenues in the second quarter of 1997 were $3.2 billion compared to revenues of $3.0 billion in the second quarter of 1996.

"The earnings effect of the J-block settlement makes this a disappointing quarter," said Kenneth L. Lay, chairman and chief executive officer of Enron. "But the settlement is clearly beneficial to the company's longer-term prospects and should not obscure the tremendous performance and even stronger growth potential displayed by our wholesale natural gas and electricity businesses and international development business. In the second quarter, these two segments showed strong earnings growth. Further, during the last six months, we have laid a solid foundation for our emerging retail and renewable energy businesses. We are more encouraged than ever that these new businesses will be significant contributors to the company's stock price, even in the near term."

Forward Looking Earnings Comments for 1997 "In looking forward to full year earnings for 1997, several factors need to be considered," Lay said. "The previously mentioned strong growth in our wholesale natural gas and electricity and international development businesses along with continued solid earnings in the pipeline segment are being partially offset during 1997 by three factors. First, the interest on the debt incurred for the J-block related payments provides an ongoing requirement of about $0.10 per share per year, or about $0.06 per share in 1997.

"The second factor involves our previously announced long-term intention to reduce our ownership in EOTT," Lay said. "Our 1997 plans included a disposition transaction after conversion of the subordinated units to common units, which would have resulted in a gain. In light of current industry margins and EOTT's current unit price, we now consider it very unlikely that we will complete a disposition transaction this year. Our current strategy with EOTT is to continue to encourage that business to position itself for growth and opportunities such that its long-term value is maximized and Enron's long-term intention for EOTT's independence is fulfilled.

"Third, removal of price hedges on our exploration and production activities at both the EOG and corporate levels has made full year performance of this segment more highly dependent on oil and gas prices, and such performance has already been reduced by significant hedging activity during the first and second quarter," Lay said. "Because prices for the remainder of the year are highly uncertain, we cannot forecast that we will be able to fully offset the previously booked hedge losses through price increases in the second half of 1997.

"Taking into account these items, we are revising downward our own internal targets by the sum of these items, or approximately $0.30 per share to approximately $2.25 on a primary earnings per share basis exclusive of the J-block settlement and the MTBE price reserve," Lay said.

"Looking forward to 1998, we expect strong growth performance, particularly from ECT's wholesale electricity business, production increases at EOG, and completion of key power projects by Enron International, such as India, and by Enron Renewable Energy Corp., which was recently chosen to build the two largest wind projects in the world, as well as growth in international merchant activities at Enron International," Lay said.

"We are very excited about our growth prospects and opportunities for 1998 and beyond," Lay said. "Based on our positive assessment of future opportunities and our expectations for growth, our board has authorized the repurchase of common stock from time to time up to an aggregate amount of 10 million shares during the second half of 1997."

1997 Second Quarter Earnings

Enron Gas Pipeline Group/Enron Ventures Corp.

• This segment includes earnings from Enron Gas Pipeline Group (GPG), which operates Enron's North American interstate natural gas pipelines, and from Enron Ventures Corp. (EVC), which is responsible for Enron's engineering and construction activities as well as Enron's interests in clean fuels and EOTT Energy Partners, L.P.
• GPG/EVC reported earnings before interest and taxes of $79 million in the second quarter of 1997 (exclusive of the $100 million non-recurring charge related to MTBE) compared to earnings of $101 million in the prior year quarter. The 1996 second quarter included deferred construction profits related to projects that were sold during that period.
• As recently reported, EOTT expects to report a second quarter 1997 loss due to lower crude oil gathering margins, compared to very strong earnings in the second quarter of 1996.

Enron Capital & Trade Resources

• Enron Capital & Trade Resources' (ECT) earnings are derived from the marketing, purchasing and financing of natural gas, power and natural gas liquids, as well as from the company's operation of non-regulated pipelines and storage facilities.
• ECT reported earnings before interest and taxes of $59 million in the second quarter of 1997, up 13 percent compared to $52 million for the same period in 1996.
• Physical volumes marketed in the 1997 second quarter increased 20 percent to 11.2 trillion British thermal units of energy equivalent per day (TBtue/d) compared to 9.3 TBtue/d a year ago.
• ECT's U.S. power marketing business reflected strong growth in the second quarter of 1997, with 38.6 million megawatt hours (MWhs) sold compared to 11.0 million MWhs sold in the second quarter of 1996.

Enron Energy Services

• Enron Energy Services (EES), a newly-formed business unit which will serve the U.S. retail natural gas and electricity markets, reported a loss of $25 million, or $0.07 per share, in the second quarter of 1997. The loss recognized by EES reflects the significant systems, product development, regulatory and branding costs of positioning Enron to aggressively market electricity and natural gas at the retail level as these markets begin opening up January 1, 1998.

"The investments we're currently making in our retail business are consistent with the enormous growth opportunities we anticipate as we start to sign up California and New England retail electricity customers in the fall of 1997 and then initiate service to those customers on January 1," Lay said.

Enron International

• International earnings consist of earnings from the development and promotion of integrated energy projects, commercial power generation, and pipeline and merchant activities outside of North America and Europe, including earnings from Enron Global Power & Pipelines (EPP).
• International reported earnings before interest, minority interest and taxes of $62 million in the second quarter of 1997 compared to $39 million in the second quarter of 1996. The current quarter increase primarily relates to earnings from the development of the Guam power project and increased value in Enron International's investment portfolio.
• To streamline financial reporting, EPP's oversight committee is evaluating Enron's proposal to merge EPP into Enron at a purchase price of $32 for each share of EPP common stock.

"We were extremely pleased to receive notification yesterday that a consortium in which we hold a 45 percent interest was the successful bidder in the privatization of CEG, Rio de Janeiro's municipal gas distribution company, and Riogas, the gas distribution company in the interior of the state in Rio de Janeiro," Lay said. "Our success at winning this bid, as well as a recent bid to develop a power project in Mato Grosso, reflect our strong track record of creating new growth opportunities in Latin America. In addition, construction on phase one of our India power project is approximately 65 percent complete, and that facility will generate 740 megawatts of power upon reaching commercial operation by year-end 1998."

Exploration and Production/Enron Oil & Gas Company

• Exploration and Production reported earnings before interest, minority interest and taxes of $30 million in the second quarter of 1997 compared to $77 million in the second quarter of 1996. Enron Oil & Gas Company's (EOG) sale of selected reserves and related assets in the second quarter of 1997 resulted in pretax gains of $7 million ($2 million after tax and minority interest) compared to second quarter 1996 pretax gains of $18 million ($7 million after tax and minority interest).
• Hedging of commodity exposure and other marketing activities resulted in revenue reductions of $6 million ($2 million after taxes and minority interests) in the second quarter of 1997 compared to revenue of $20 million ($8 million after taxes and minority interests) in the second quarter of 1996. EOG has closed out all of its natural gas hedges for 1997.
• Total second quarter 1997 natural gas production averaged 896 MMcf/d compared to 840 MMcf/d in the second quarter of 1996. North America natural gas production averaged 781 MMcf/d in the second quarter of 1997 compared to 700 MMcf/d in the second quarter of 1996.
• Total second quarter 1997 crude oil and condensate production averaged 17.1 thousand barrels per day (MBD) compared to 19.1 MBD in the second quarter of 1996. North America crude oil and condensate production averaged 13.6 MBD in the second quarter of 1997 compared to 11.0 MBD in the second quarter of 1996.

Corporate and Other Corporate and Other reported second quarter 1997 earnings of $16 million, exclusive of the $675 million pretax charge ($450 million after tax) reflecting the full accounting for the effects of Enron's amended J-Block contract. This compares to a loss of $4 million in the second quarter of 1996.

Enron Corp., one of the world's largest integrated natural gas and electricity companies with approximately $19 billion in assets, operates one of the largest natural gas transmission systems in the world; is the largest purchaser and marketer of natural gas and the largest non-regulated marketer of electricity in North America; is a leading participant in liberalized energy markets in the United Kingdom and the Nordic Countries; markets natural gas liquids worldwide; manages the largest portfolio of fixed-price natural gas risk management contracts in the world; is among the leading entities arranging new capital to the energy industry; owns a majority interest in Enron Oil & Gas Company, one of the largest independent (non-integrated) exploration and production companies in the United States; owns a majority interest in Enron Global Power & Pipelines L.L.C., which is owner and manager of operating power plants and natural gas pipelines around the world; is one of the largest independent developers and producers of electricity in the world; and is a major supplier of solar and wind renewable energy worldwide. Enron is traded under the ticker symbol, "ENE."

For additional information please contact:

Diane Bazelides

(713) 853-6285