Dominion Virginia Power Offers Energy Choice
Option to Customers
New Pilot Program Aimed at Boosting Competition
RICHMOND, Va. - Dominion Virginia Power customers
will receive letters in the mail this week encouraging them to sign up for a
new competitive
bid pilot program approved by the State Corporation Commission with an opportunity
to save money on electric bills.
Letters will be mailed to customers in Eastern
Virginia during the week of Nov. 17, followed by Central Virginia the week of
Dec. 1, Western Virginia the week of Dec. 8, and Northern Virginia the week
of Dec. 15. Customers can volunteer
online or by calling 1-888-667-3000 and providing their account number.
“This is an innovative opportunity for
our customers to become more involved in the competitive electricity market
in Virginia and have a choice in who provides their electricity,” said
Jay L. Johnson, president and chief executive officer. “I encourage customers
to sign-up for this pilot program. For those who chose another provider, Dominion
will still be there to deliver the service to you.”
Volunteering for the competitive bid pilot, which
is for residential and certain small businesses, began formally Nov. 17. Customers
will be selected by late January 2004 and placed in a “buying group”
with about 14,000 other customers in their geographic area. The State Corporation
Commission will oversee a competitive bid process to select the lowest cost
supplier to provide electricity to each group. The pilot will continue until
the July 1, 2007, expiration of capped rates.
Regardless of which company supplies a participant’s
electricity, Dominion will still deliver it to the customer and maintain wires,
poles and equipment. Any time during the pilot customers can return to Dominion
for electricity supply service at their current rate, which is capped until
July 1, 2007. Dominion expects the program to provide valuable experience for
customers, suppliers, utilities and regulators as Virginia continues to develop
a competitive electricity marketplace.
Dominion is one of the nation's largest producers
of energy with an energy portfolio of more than 24,000 megawatts of generation.
Dominion also serves 5.3 million retail energy customers in nine states. For
more information about Dominion, visit the company's Web site at www.dom.com.
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CONTACTS:
Online sign-up:
Media inquiries:
To volunteer, click
here.
David Botkins, 804-771-6115
