TECO Energy COO to Present at Bank of America Merrill Lynch Power & Gas Leaders Conference

• Press Release
• Source: TECO Energy, Inc.
• On 1:05 pm EDT, Friday September 18, 2009

TAMPA, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--TECO Energy, Inc. (NYSE:TE - News) President and COO John Ramil will make a presentation at the 2009 Bank of America Merrill Lynch Power & Gas Leaders Conference in New York on Wednesday, September 23, 2009 at 9:15 AM Eastern time.

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Symbol	Price	Change
TE	14.81	+0.06

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An audio Webcast of the live presentation will be accessible through a link on TECO Energy’s home page at www.tecoenergy.com. The Webcast will be available for replay within 24 hours of the live event and will be available through Oct. 9, 2009 for those unable to listen to the live Webcast. The slides that will accompany the Webcast will be available on the Investors page of TECO Energy’s Web site.

In conjunction with this presentation and meetings with investors, TECO Energy is reaffirming its 2009 earnings per share forecast range of $1.00 to $1.15 for 2009, which was previously updated July 28, 2009. This forecast is for earnings per share from continuing operations, excluding any charges and gains.

The 2009 guidance was initially provided in May in the form of a range to allow for varying outcomes with respect to important variables, such as the Florida economy, weather and customer usage at the Florida utilities, pricing and demand for production at TECO Coal, resolution of the lower value added distribution tariff (VAD) at EEGSA, the distribution utility in Guatemala, and unplanned generating unit outages at TECO Guatemala. In the first six months of the year, the Florida utilities experienced lower sales and a 0.2% decline in the number of retail customers due to continued weakness in the Florida economy. At TECO Coal, demand for uncontracted metallurgical coal remained weak due to the worldwide economic slowdown, and customers have deferred deliveries under existing contracts as inventories remain high at customer’s facilities. At TECO Guatemala, the San José Power Station resumed operation in early July; however, the lower VAD remains in place at EEGSA with no firm schedule for a resolution.

TECO Energy, Inc. (NYSE:TE - News) is an energy-related holding company. Its principal subsidiary, Tampa Electric Company, is a regulated utility in Florida with both electric and gas divisions (Tampa Electric and Peoples Gas System). Other subsidiaries include TECO Coal, which owns and operates coal production facilities in Kentucky and Virginia, and TECO Guatemala, which is engaged in electric power generation and distribution and energy-related businesses in Guatemala.

Note: This press release contains forward-looking statements, which are subject to the inherent uncertainties in predicting future results and conditions. Actual results may differ materially from those forecasted. The forecasted results are based on the company's current expectations and assumptions, and the company does not undertake to update that information or any other information contained in this press release, except as may be required by law. Factors that could impact actual results include: regulatory actions by federal, state or local authorities; unexpected capital needs or unanticipated reductions in cash flow that affect liquidity; the ability to access the capital and credit markets when required; the availability of adequate rail transportation capacity for the shipment of TECO Coal's production; general economic conditions affecting energy sales at the utility companies; economic conditions, both national and international, affecting the Florida economy and demand for TECO Coal's production; weather variations and changes in customer energy usage patterns affecting sales and operating costs at Tampa Electric and Peoples Gas and the effect of extreme weather conditions or hurricanes; operating conditions, commodity price and operating cost changes affecting the production levels and margins at TECO Coal; fuel cost recoveries and related cash at Tampa Electric and natural gas demand at Peoples Gas; the ability of TECO Energy's subsidiaries to operate equipment without undue accidents, breakdowns or failures; changes in the U.S. federal tax code on earnings from foreign investments that could reduce earnings; the ability to increase the utilization of the coal-fired San José Power Station versus competing oil-fired generators during a period of lower oil prices; and the ultimate outcome of efforts to revise the significantly lower EEGSA VAD tariff rates implemented by regulatory authorities in Guatemala effective Aug. 1, 2008 affecting TECO Guatemala's results. Additional information is contained under "Risk Factors" in TECO Energy, Inc.'s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the period ended Dec. 31, 2008, and as updated in its Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the period ended Jun. 30, 2009.

TECO Energy, Inc.
News Media: Rick Morera, 813-228-4945
Investor Relations: Mark Kane, 813-228-1772
Internet: http://www.tecoenergy.com