Nord Pool ASA plans to launch a standardised certified emission reduction (CER) forward contract. The start-up date will be 1 June 2007. Lysaker, 27 April 2007 The listing of CER contracts represents an important contribution to the development of a secondary market for this product. The contract is designed in accordance with the requirements of the European Union emission trading scheme (ETS) directives. Nord Pool ASA has co-operated with some of the major European players in the carbon trading market to design a standardised contract. The contract enables European companies to comply with the purposes under the EU ETS and governments to fulfil their obligations under the Kyoto protocol. The initial CER contracts will cover the years 2008 and 2009 in the Kyoto period. Additional contracts will be listed on request from the market. Nord Pool will be presenting information to the market about its new CER forward product at the Carbon Expo in Cologne on 2 May. About CERs A certified emission reduction (CER) is the name for an emission credit obtained through the clean development mechanism (CDM), which is implemented by the United Nations. The recipient has achieved a reduction corresponding to one tonne of carbon dioxide or carbon-equivalent greenhouse gas in a developing country. This is one of the principal Kyoto mechanisms and involves the transfer of capital and technology from an industrial country to a developing nation. Projects must be approved by the UN's CDM executive board and will generate a new type of emission credit. For further information, please see the updated rulebook as of 1 June 2007. For further information, please contact Nord Pool ASA: Marianne W. Jenssen, senior vice president, financial market, phone: +47 67 52 80 76 Anne-Marit Rudby, head of emissions desk, financial market, phone +47 67 52 80 13 Press contact: Lars Galtung, vice president communications, phone +47 67 52 80 80/+47 98 21 48 12