CURITIBA, Brazil, Aug. 15 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Companhia Paranaense de Energia -- COPEL (NYSE: ELP / LATIBEX: XCOP / BOVESPA: CPLE3, CPLE5, CPLE6), a company that generates, transmits and distributes power to the State of Parana, announces its first half results of 2008. All figures included in this report are in Reais and were prepared in accordance with Brazilian GAAP (corporate law method).

-- COPEL's consolidated financial statements present, in addition to the figures of the wholly-owned subsidiaries (COPEL Geracao e Transmissao, COPEL Distribuicao, COPEL Telecomunicacoes and COPEL Participacoes), those of Compagas, Elejor, UEG Araucaria and Centrais Eolicas do Parana (companies in which COPEL retains a majority stake). From January 2008 on, Domino Holdings started to be partially consolidated (45%).

-- Net operating revenues for the 1H08: R$ 2.668.5 million - a 8.0% increase compared to the 1H07.

-- Operating income: R$ 939.0 million, up 11.6% year-on-year.

-- Net income: R$ 613 million (R$ 2.24 per share). - 16.9% variation versus the 1H07. In the 2Q08 alone, net income reached R$ 357.5 million.

-- EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization): R$ 1,039.3 million. In the 2Q08 alone, EBITDA stood at R$ 591.7 million.

-- Return on net equity: 8.5%.

-- Total power consumption billed by COPEL to captive customers rose 5.9 % over the second quarter last year. The grid market increased 6.7%.

-- By the end of the 1H08, COPEL's shares appreciated at the following rates

       -- CPLE3 (common/Bovespa) = 8.5%
       -- CPLE6 (preferred B/Bovespa) = 21.6%
       -- ELP (ADR/Nyse) = 34.3%
       -- XCOP (preferred B/Latibex) =  23.1%

    1H08 Conference Call
    Date:      Friday, August 15, 2008
    Time:      2:00 p.m. (US EDT)
    Telephone: (55)(11) 2188-0188
    Code: COPEL

SOURCE Companhia Paranaense de Energia