Electric News Release

Employee’s Body Found at Morgantown Energy Associates’ Facility

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Rescue workers Friday found the body of a power station employee fatally injured in the partial collapse of a structure inside a coal silo at the Morgantown Energy Associates’ Beechurst Avenue power station.

The body was located at about 5:30 p.m. by members of the Fairfax County Urban Search and Rescue Team that had been called in from Virginia. The family was notified shortly thereafter. The name is being withheld at the family’s request.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with the family,” said Jess Locklar, director of the power station. “Our hearts go out to them in this time of sadness. This is a tragedy that is felt by all of his friends and co-workers.”

Because of the damage to the silo, it may be some time before the body can be recovered.

Large vacuum trucks removed coal from the base of the silo to prepare for an entry by the rescue team. The vacuum trucks could only be used after the 1,400 tons of coal in the 130-foot tall silo had stabilized to allow a safe rescue attempt.

“Throughout this tragic ordeal, our responsibility was not only trying to save him, but also to protect the rescuers,” Locklar said. “We want to thank and recognize the individuals and organizations who worked so hard over the past 40 hours. Like all of them, we never gave up hope and we wish this had ended differently.”

Joining the Fairfax County team were the Morgantown Fire Department, the Monongalia County Emergency Management Services and the Mine Safety and Health Administration.

The cause of the partial collapse has not been determined. The silo is used to store and blend coal for use in the station’s 66-megawatt fluidized bed generating unit. The facility began operating in 1992 and produces electricity for Allegheny Power and provides steam to West Virginia University.

Dominion Energy, a subsidiary of Dominion (NYSE: D), is majority owner and operator of the power station. Dominion, headquartered in Richmond, Va., is one of the nation’s largest producers of energy, with a production capability of 2.7 trillion British thermal units of energy per day. For more information about Dominion, visit the company's web site at www.dom.com.

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