Electric News Releases

May 30, 2000

Electricity Choice Now Available For Virginia Power Customers In Central Virginia

RICHMOND, Va. -- Virginia Power customers in Richmond, Ashland and the counties of Chesterfield, Hanover and Henrico are the first in the Commonwealth to get to do something they've never been able to do before – choose their electricity supplier.

Project Current Choice, Virginia Power's retail access pilot program, opened for business this week in central Virginia through a series of television, radio and newspaper ads, billboards, movie screens and Internet banners. About 35,500 customers in the designated area will be able to participate in the pilot program and pick a supplier more than a year before the beginning of full customer choice in Virginia.

"Though the concept of choice is new in Virginia, consumers in more than 16 states already have electricity choice," said Edgar M. Roach Jr., chief executive officer. "We in Virginia have the advantage of being able to build on their experience. We believe Project Current Choice will allow us to make a smooth transition to full competition beginning in 2002.

"Regardless of which supplier customers choose, Virginia Power will continue to deliver the electricity to customers reliably and keep the lights on," said Roach.

Customers can volunteer for the program by calling a toll-free telephone line, 1-888-777-5456, by visiting the Project Current Choice website on the Internet or through the mail. A direct mail volunteer card will be sent June 5 to all greater Richmond-area customers. Customers also can sign up by returning an insert that will be included with Virginia Power bills in June.

"We have made it as simple as possible for a customer to volunteer," Roach said. "Once customers volunteer to participate, they will have the option to choose a new supplier that is licensed by the Virginia State Corporation Commission. No one who volunteers will be switched to a new supplier without their expressed permission."

Project Current Choice is the first step of a multi-year effort to implement electric choice for 1.9 million Virginia customers served by Virginia Power. The Virginia Electric Utility Restructuring Act of 1999 calls for customer choice and the deregulation of the generation of electricity. The transmission and distribution and of electricity will continue to be regulated.

Customer choice will be phased in between Jan. 1, 2002, and Jan. 1, 2004. The law also gave the State Corporation the authority to conduct retail choice pilot programs before the phase in begins. The commission directed Virginia Power and American Electric Power-Virginia to develop pilot programs as a way to get ready for full-scale customer choice.

Virginia Power is a subsidiary of Dominion (NYSE: D), the nation's largest fully integrated natural gas and electric company, providing energy to more than 4 million customers in five states. More information on Dominion can be found on the Internet at www.dom.com.

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