Electric News Release

Morgantown Energy Associates Braces Coal Silo

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Morgantown Energy Associates began pouring concrete Thursday at the base of a damaged coal silo at its Beechurst Avenue power station in an attempt to stabilize the silo and to prevent it from falling.

Concrete will be added between the 130-foot tall silo and an adjacent building that contains the turbines and generators for the 66-megawatt unit that produces electricity for Allegheny Energy and steam for West Virginia University. The silo was damaged March 1 when an internal structure gave way, fatally injuring one employee. The cause of the damage has not been determined.

“As we stabilize the silo, our first priority is the safety of the personnel working in and around the structure,” said Jess Locklar, station director. “We believe adding concrete at the base will increase the silo’s stability so we can take it down in a controlled fashion rather than chance it falling on its own and possibly causing further damage to the station. We have not decided how we will bring down the silo. We are working together with our experts and Morgantown officials to do the work safely with minimal additional damage.”

About 250 yards of concrete will be poured as a temporary brace, sloping to a point about 25 feet up the most damaged side of the silo. The concrete will be removed when the silo is taken down.

Dominion Energy, a subsidiary of Dominion (NYSE: D), is the majority owner of the Morgantown facility.

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.

# # #