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                                                               EXHIBIT 10 (u)(9)

                               SECOND AMENDMENT TO
                     CENTERPOINT ENERGY, INC. SAVINGS TRUST

                  THIS AGREEMENT is made by and between CENTERPOINT ENERGY, INC.
(the "Company"), and THE NORTHERN TRUST COMPANY, an Illinois corporation
(hereinafter referred to as "Trustee");

                  WHEREAS, the Company and the Trustee entered into the
CenterPoint Energy, Inc. Savings Trust (formerly the Reliant Energy,
Incorporated Savings Trust) effective April 1, 1999 and as thereafter amended
(hereinafter referred to as the "Trust"); and

                  WHEREAS the Company and the Trustee desire to amend the Trust
pursuant to Section 10.4 of the
Trust;

                  NOW, THEREFORE, effective as of January 6, 2003, the sections
of the Trust set forth below are amended as follows, but all other sections of
the Trust shall remain in full force and effect:

                  1.       Section 1.1 of the Trust is hereby amended by adding
the following new definition of "TGN Stock":

                  "TGN STOCK: The common stock of Texas Genco. TGN Stock shall
         be `qualifying employer securities' within the meaning of Section
         409(l) of the Code and Section 407(d)(5) of ERISA for so long as Texas
         Genco is a member of the Company's controlled group for purposes of
         Section 409(l) of the Code."

                  2.       Section 1.1 of the Trust is hereby amended by adding
the following new definition of "Texas Genco":

                  "TEXAS GENCO: Texas Genco Holdings, Inc., a Texas
corporation."

                  3.       Section 4.2 of the Trust is hereby amended by
inserting the following new sentences at the end of subparagraph (b) as follows:

         "Notwithstanding any provision of this Trust to the contrary, with
         respect to all TGN Stock received as a dividend in the unallocated
         portion of the ESOP Fund, the Committee may appoint an Investment
         Manager for purposes of liquidating such TGN Stock and for purposes of
         reinvesting such proceeds into Company Stock. Such Investment Manager
         shall acknowledge by a writing delivered to the Committee that it is a
         fiduciary with respect to the TGN Stock or other assets allocated
         thereto. The Trustee shall act with respect to such TGN Stock or other
         assets allocated to such Investment Manager only as directed by the
         Investment Manager. The Trustee shall not make any investment review
         of, consider the propriety of holding or selling, or vote, any TGN
         Stock or other assets allocated to such Investment Manager, except as
         directed by the Investment Manager thereof."

                  4.       Section 4.2 of the Trust is hereby amended by
inserting a new subparagraph (h) immediately after subparagraph (g) as follows:

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                  "(h)     TGN Stock Fund: The TGN Stock Fund shall be a `frozen
         fund' for which no purchases of TGN Stock shall be made, except with
         respect to the reinvestment of dividends as described below. The
         Trustee shall not be required to advance funds to make any transfers or
         distributions from the TGN Stock Fund. Dividends, if any, received in
         the TGN Stock Fund shall be reinvested in the TGN Stock Fund. Any cash
         held by the Trustee from time to time in the TGN Stock Fund may be
         invested in the collective short term investment fund of the Trustee.
         All TGN Stock held in the TGN Stock Fund shall be voted or tendered, as
         applicable, by the Trustee, in its sole discretion. No provision of
         this paragraph (h) shall prevent the Trustee from taking any action
         relating to its duties under this paragraph (h) if the Trustee
         determines in its sole discretion that such action is necessary in
         order for the Trustee to fulfill its fiduciary responsibilities under
         ERISA."

                  5.       Section 6.7 of the Trust is hereby amended by adding
the following new paragraph to the end thereof:

                  "Except for the short-term investment of cash and the purchase
         of stock for the reinvestment of dividends, if any, into the TGN Stock
         Fund, the Company has limited the investment power of the Trustee in
         the TGN Stock Fund to the retention and sale of TGN Stock. The Trustee
         shall not be liable for the purchase, retention, or sale of TGN Stock
         in accordance with the provisions of Section 4.2 hereof, and the
         Company (which has the authority to do so under the laws of the state
         of its incorporation) agrees to indemnify The Northern Trust Company
         from any liability, loss and expense, including legal fees and expenses
         which The Northern Trust Company may sustain by reason of purchase,
         retention, or sale of TGN Stock in accordance with the provisions of
         Section 4.2 hereof; provided, however, that to the extent that such
         liability, loss or expense arises from the Trustee's willful
         misconduct, bad faith or negligence in carrying out its ministerial
         functions under Section 4.2. This paragraph shall survive the
         termination of this Trust."

                  IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the Company and the Trustee have caused
this Amendment to be executed and attested to by their respective officers, in a
number of copies, all of which shall constitute one and the same instrument,
which may be sufficiently evidenced by any executed copy hereof, on the day and
year first written above.

                                 CENTERPOINT ENERGY, INC.

                                 By: /s/ David M. McClanahan
                                     -----------------------------------------
                                     David M. McClanahan
                                     President and Chief Executive Officer
/s/ Richard B. Dauphin
-----------------------------
Assistant  Secretary

                                 THE NORTHERN TRUST COMPANY

                                 By:         ILLEGIBLE
                                     -----------------------------

                                 Its:
                                      ----------------------------

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                                                               EXHIBIT 10(u)(18)

                    CENTERPOINT ENERGY, INC. RETIREMENT PLAN

            (As Amended and Restated Effective as of January 1, 1999)

                                Seventh Amendment

                  CenterPoint Energy, Inc., a Texas corporation (the "Company"),
having reserved the right under Section 15.1 of the CenterPoint Energy, Inc.
Retirement Plan, as amended and restated effective as of January 1, 1999, and as
thereafter amended (the "Plan"), to amend the Plan, does hereby amend certain
provisions of the Plan relating to the NorAm Energy Corp. Employees Retirement
Plan (the "NorAm Plan"), which was merged with and into the Plan effective as of
January 1, 1999, as in effect on such date, that continue to apply with respect
to certain "Grandfathered Benefits" under the Plan for participants who had a
benefit under the NorAm Plan prior to January 1, 1999, effective as of January
1, 2003, as follows:

                  1.       The first sentence of Section 4.5 of the NorAm Plan
document is hereby amended to read as follows:

         "Notwithstanding any other provision of this Article, the retirement
         benefit payable to a Participant will not be less than the retirement
         benefit that the Participant had accrued as of December 31, 1991 (or,
         if the Participant commenced benefits before January 1, 2003 and was a
         Super Highly Compensated Employee for any Plan Year before 1992, as of
         his Benefit Protection Date as hereafter defined) under the terms of
         the Retirement Plan in effect on December 31, 1988 (including early
         retirement age and factors and other actuarial assumptions), determined
         as if the Participant had a Separation from Service on December 31,
         1991, or his Benefit Protection Date, whichever applies."

                  2.       Section 4.9 of the NorAm Plan document is hereby
amended in its entirety to read as follows:

                  "4.9     Special Rule - Preservation of Prior Formula. For any
         Participant who commences retirement benefits on or after January 1,
         2003, the retirement benefit will be the greater of (i) the retirement
         benefit determined under the foregoing provisions of this Article for
         all years of Credited Service or (ii) the retirement benefit the
         Participant would be entitled to receive under the Retirement Plan
         formula applicable to such Participant on December 31, 1991 (as if this
         Plan had not been adopted, including all relevant early retirement
         factors and actuarial assumptions) applied to the same Credited Service
         period as applied to (i) above.

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                  Notwithstanding, the retirement benefit of any other
         Participant who (i) was not a Highly Compensated Employee (as defined
         in Code Section 414(q)) on December 31, 1991, and (ii) was an active
         Employee on December 31, 1991, or had a Separation from Service prior
         to such date and is later rehired under circumstances in which his
         prior service is taken into account under Article 2, will be the
         greater of (1) the benefit determined under the foregoing provisions of
         this Article for all years of Credited Service or (2) in lieu of such
         benefit, the benefit the Participant would be entitled to receive under
         the Retirement Plan formula applicable to such Participant on December
         31, 1991 (as if this Plan had not been adopted, including all relevant
         early retirement factors and actuarial assumptions, except as otherwise
         provided in this Section), applied to the period of Credited Service
         ending with the close of the Plan Year (after 1991) in which the
         Participant first becomes a Highly Compensated Employee. For purposes
         of determining benefits accruing under this Section in Plan Years
         beginning after 1994, Section 4.5(a) of the benefit formula under Part
         Three of the Retirement Plan will be applied by replacing `5 years of
         Vesting Service' with `10 years of Vesting Service.' If a Participant
         is entitled to a benefit under this Section, the benefit will be
         payable only in the forms of payment applicable under Article 5, except
         to the extent that a form of payment provided under the Retirement Plan
         is protected under Section 5.10."

                  IN WITNESS WHEREOF, CenterPoint Energy, Inc. has caused these
presents to be executed by its duly authorized officer in a number of copies,
all of which shall constitute one and the same instrument, which may be
sufficiently evidenced by any executed copy hereof, this 5th day of November
2003, but effective as of the date specified above.

                                  CENTERPOINT ENERGY, INC.

                                  By: /s/ David M. McClanahan
                                      ------------------------------------
                                      David M. McClanahan
                                      President and Chief Executive Officer

ATTEST:

/s/ Richard B.Dauphin
---------------------------
Assistant Secretary

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