NW Natural Increases Dividend for 57th Consecutive Year


PORTLAND, OR--(Marketwire - Oct 8, 2012) - The Board of Directors of Northwest Natural Gas Company (NYSE: NWN), dba NW Natural, has increased the quarterly dividend on the company's common stock to 45.5 cents per share from 44.5 cents a share on the company's common stock.

The dividends will be paid Nov. 15, 2012, to shareholders of record on Oct. 31, 2012.

NW Natural will have paid $1.79 per share in dividends on its common stock in 2012, the 57th year in which the company's dividend payments have increased. The company's indicated annual dividend rate is $1.82 per share.

About NW Natural
NW Natural (NYSE: NWN) is headquartered in Portland, Ore., and provides safe, reliable, cost-effective natural gas service to about 681,000 residential, commercial, and industrial customers through 14,000 miles of mains and service lines in western Oregon and southwestern Washington. It is the largest independent natural gas utility in the Pacific Northwest. The company has approximately $2.6 billion in total assets. The company operates and owns 16 Bcf of underground storage capacity in Mist, Ore., and also operates the 20 Bcf Gill Ranch underground storage facility in California, in which it owns a 75 percent undivided interest. Together, NW Natural and its subsidiaries currently own and operate underground gas storage facilities with storage capacity of approximately 31 Bcf in Oregon and California. Additional information is available at www.nwnatural.com.

Contact Information:

Investor Contact:

Bob Hess
Phone: 503-220-2388
Email: bob.hess@nwnatural.com