<PAGE>

                                                                   EXHIBIT 99.1

[Reliant Resources, Inc. Logo]



FOR FURTHER INFORMATION:   Sandy Fruhman - Media (713) 497-3123
                           Dennis Barber - Investors (713) 497-3042

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:     April 13, 2003

                   RELIANT RESOURCES ANNOUNCES RESIGNATION OF
                      STEVE LETBETTER AS CHAIRMAN AND CEO;
           BOARD NAMES JOEL V. STAFF CHAIRMAN AND CEO ON INTERIM BASIS

HOUSTON, TX - Reliant Resources, Inc. (NYSE:RRI) today announced that Steve
Letbetter, chairman and chief executive officer, has resigned.

The board of directors has appointed Joel V. Staff, a Reliant board member, to
assume Letbetter's responsibilities as chairman and CEO until a new CEO is
elected. The company also announced that it has hired Spencer Stuart, a
nationally recognized search firm, to begin a search for a permanent CEO.

Staff said, "During this challenging time in the energy industry, Reliant
employees have excelled at what they do best - providing outstanding service to
Reliant's customers. I am looking forward to serving as Reliant's chairman and
CEO and believe that the company is well positioned to deliver a successful
future. Reliant is a business with solid underlying value, skilled and dedicated
employees, and tremendous potential. Our recently completed refinancing
significantly improved the company's financial position, and our core businesses
are performing well in a difficult environment with substantial upside as
markets improve."

The board of directors expressed their appreciation for Letbetter's service to
the company: "Reliant Resources is grateful to Steve for all his contributions
in guiding the company during a challenging time in a very dynamic environment.
During the past year, Reliant sharpened its strategic focus, restructured its
business and solidified its financial position to allow the company to maximize
opportunities in today's markets. His hard work and tireless devotion to the
business have laid the groundwork for the next stage of the company's
evolution."

"Building Reliant Resources has been an outstanding opportunity and a great
experience," Letbetter said. "Now, with the company's successful refinancing
completed, and after three years at Reliant Resources and many years before that
at predecessor companies, I'm ready to pursue new opportunities. With Reliant
well positioned for future success, the time is right for a change."

<PAGE>

                                     -more-

Joel V. Staff served as chairman, president and chief executive officer of
National Oilwell, Inc. from July 1993 to May 2001 and remains a member of its
board. Staff was associated with Baker Hughes, Inc., a supplier of
reservoir-centered products, services and systems to the oil and gas industry,
between 1976 and June of 1993 and served in various financial and general
management positions including senior vice president and president of the
drilling and production groups. In addition to serving on the board of Reliant
Resources, Inc., Staff is a director of Ensco International, Incorporated and a
director of National Oilwell, Inc. He holds a Bachelor of Administration degree
from The University of Texas at Austin and a Master of Business Administration
degree from Texas A&M University - Kingsville. He lives in Houston, Texas.

Steve Letbetter had served as chairman and CEO of Reliant Resources since May
2002 and as chairman, president and CEO since the company's inception in 2000.
He also served as chairman, president and CEO of Reliant Energy, Incorporated,
the parent corporation of Reliant Resources, from January 2000 until Reliant
Resources was spun off from its parent company in late 2002. He had served as
president and chief executive officer of the parent company since 1999. He
joined Houston Lighting & Power Company in 1974 and held various financial and
management positions with increasing responsibility over the years. Letbetter
began his career in public accounting after receiving a bachelor's degree in
accounting from Texas A&M University.

Reliant Resources, Inc., based in Houston, Texas, provides electricity and
energy services to retail and wholesale customers in the U.S. and Europe,
marketing those services under the Reliant Energy brand name. The company
provides a complete suite of energy products and services to approximately 1.7
million electricity customers in Texas ranging from residences and small
businesses to large commercial, industrial and institutional customers. Its
wholesale business includes approximately 22,000 megawatts of power generation
capacity in operation, under construction or under contract in the U.S. The
company also has nearly 3,500 megawatts of power generation in operation in
Western Europe. For more information, visit our web site at
www.reliantresources.com.

                                      *****

This news release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of
Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities
Exchange Act of 1934. You can identify these statements by the fact that they do
not strictly relate to historical or current facts. We have based our
forward-looking statements on management's beliefs and assumptions based on
information available to management at the time the statements are made. Actual
results may differ from those expressed or implied by forward-looking statements
as a result of legislative and regulatory developments, the outcome of pending
lawsuits, governmental proceedings and investigations, the effects of
competition, financial market conditions, access to capital and the results of
financing and refinancing efforts, the integration of recent acquisitions, the
timing and extent of changes in commodity prices and interest rates, weather
conditions, changes in our business plan and other factors we discuss in our
other filings with the SEC. Each forward-looking statement speaks only as of the
date of the particular statement, and we undertake no obligation to publicly
update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new
information, future events or otherwise.

                                      # # #