Richmond, Va., March 31, 2011 — Dominion Virginia Power, a subsidiary of Dominion, is initiating a study of what it would take to build a high-voltage underwater transmission line from Virginia Beach into the Atlantic Ocean to support potentially multiple offshore wind farms.

Dominion sees this as the first of many steps with the ultimate goal being the design, construction, operation and maintenance of the transmission line necessary to make the offshore wind resource available to its customers.

Dominion plans to complete the study this year, evaluating options to best support multiple offshore wind projects off the coast of Virginia. The company would work with PJM Interconnection through its Regional Transmission Expansion Planning process.

The Virginia State Corporation Commission would have to approve any power line project as well.

A study done by Dominion last year of its existing transmission system in eastern Virginia showed that it is possible to interconnect large scale wind generation facilities up to a total installed capability of 4,500 MW.

The study said 1,500 MW of generation into a Virginia Beach substation would not be expected to create transmission deficiencies.

Dominion is one of the nation's largest producers and transporters of energy, with a portfolio of approximately 27,600 MW of generation, 11,000 miles of natural gas transmission, gathering and storage pipeline and 6,100 miles of electric transmission lines.