Electric News Releases

October 30, 2000

Small Business and Commercial Slots Filled in Dominion Virginia Power’s Electricity Pilot Program

RICHMOND, Va. – More than 2,800 Central Virginia small and intermediate-sized businesses have switched to a competitive electricity supplier and filled all available slots in the first phase of Dominion Virginia Power’s electricity pilot program, Project Current Choice.

“That the available slots for these two customer classes in Central Virginia filled within six weeks of suppliers entering the market tells us that consumers are very much aware of potential savings on their energy bill,” said Edgar M. Roach Jr., chief executive officer of Dominion Virginia Power. “We are actually oversubscribed in these two classes.”

In the Central Virginia portion of the two-phase pilot program, there was space for 2,100 small businesses, such as small grocery stores or small offices. A total of 2,322 such customers switched. The extra 222 customers were allowed to switch because their enrollments arrived on the same day. No other small business and commercial customers can switch unless participants drop out.

There were 450 slots for intermediate-size businesses, such as department stores and large office buildings. A total of 470 customers switched to a new supplier.

As of Oct. 30, 16,935 residential customers in Central Virginia had switched to a new supplier, leaving 16,065 available slots. These available slots are expected to be filled over the next few months as nearly 38,000 residential customers have volunteered for the program. Two worship sites also switched; there were 30 slots available.

Meanwhile, the pilot’s second phase is under way in Northern Virginia, where approximately 35,500 more residential and business customers in Fairfax County, Clifton, Fairfax, Herndon and Vienna can volunteer. As of Oct. 30, 22,424 residential customers, 2,903 small businesses, 357 larger businesses and seven houses of worship had volunteered for the program. Consumers in Northern Virginia will be able to switch to a competitive supplier beginning Dec. 1 and can receive electricity from that supplier as early as Jan. 1.

Nine suppliers have obtained licenses to sell electricity competitively in the pilot program. Four other suppliers have electricity licenses pending.

Dominion Virginia Power is a subsidiary of Dominion, the nation’s largest fully integrated electricity and natural gas company with 4 million customers in five states. For more information on Dominion, visit www.dom.com on the Internet.

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