RICHMOND, Va., May 29 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Dominion (NYSE: D) and BP Alternative Energy today welcomed Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels at a project recognition and wind turbine blade signing ceremony to commemorate the construction of the Fowler Ridge Wind Farm in Benton County, Ind. When it becomes fully operational, the wind farm will be one of the largest wind-power facilities in the world and will generate enough carbon-free electricity to power more than 200,000 average American homes.

Gov. Daniels, who was joined by other state and local elected officials, landowners and community leaders, said, "Indiana is becoming a leader in clean energy production, including wind, clean coal technology, biofuels and other alternatives. America needs more homegrown energy from every source, and the greener the better."

Located about 90 miles northwest of Indianapolis, the project will be built in multiple phases. The first phase will utilize 222 wind turbines -- 182 Vestas V-82 1.65-megawatt turbines and 40 Clipper C-96 2.5-megawatt turbines -- producing 400 megawatts of clean energy and is expected to be operational by the end of 2008. Dominion and BP are partners for 650 megawatts of the 750-megawatt site, with BP retaining sole ownership of 100 megawatts. Phase II is expected to generate an additional 350 megawatts, bringing the total project output to 750 megawatts. Construction of a second phase could begin as early as 2009.

Said Thomas F. Farrell II, Dominion's chairman, president and chief executive officer:

"The Fowler Ridge project is a vital part of Dominion's growing portfolio of wind and other renewable generation. It also is an important part of our growing presence in the Midwest, where we have more than 3,500 megawatts of generation capacity in operation or under development."

Bob Malone, chairman and president of BP America, said:

"The Fowler Ridge Wind Farm is just one example of BP's continuing effort to expand and diversify U.S. energy supply. This year we will invest more than $6 billion in U.S. energy projects with about 10 percent going to wind and solar power and biofuels research. By year end, we'll have a thousand megawatts of wind power on line with plans to double that in two years."

The Fowler Ridge Wind Farm will provide substantial benefits to the community, including new sources of revenue to local landowners, providers of goods and services, and taxing bodies. In addition, the project will create new jobs. Phase I of the Fowler Ridge Wind Farm is expected to employ approximately 350 workers during peak construction and a full-time staff of more than 12 workers who will monitor and maintain the site after Phase I has become fully operational.

Power from Phase I of the development is under three long-term contracts, two each for 100 megawatts with Indiana Michigan Power and Appalachian Power, both subsidiaries of American Electric Power (AEP), and one contract with Dominion Energy Marketing, a subsidiary of Dominion, for 200 megawatts.

About Dominion:

Dominion is one of the nation's largest producers and transporters of energy, with a portfolio of approximately 26,500 megawatts of generation, 1.1 trillion cubic feet equivalent of proved natural gas and oil reserves and 14,000 miles of natural gas transmission, gathering and storage pipeline. Dominion also owns the nation's largest underground natural gas storage system and operates more than 975 billion cubic feet of storage capacity, and serves retail energy customers in 11 states.

Its renewable portfolio includes nearly 1,300 megawatts under development or in operation. This includes more than 750 megawatts of wind energy: 325 megawatts from Fowler Ridge, 132 megawatts from a joint development with Shell WindEnergy in Grant County, W.Va., and 300 megawatts from Dominion's Prairie Fork Wind Farm in Central Illinois.

For more information about Dominion, visit the company's Web site at http://www.dom.com/.

About BP Alternative Energy/BP America:

BP Alternative Energy, launched in November 2005, combines all of BP's interests in low and zero-carbon energy including wind, solar, hydrogen power with carbon capture and storage, natural gas-fired power generation, biofuels for low carbon transport and distributed energy for emerging markets. BP Alternative Energy is one of the leading wind developers in the U.S. with a wind portfolio that includes the opportunity to develop almost 100 projects and a potential total generating capacity of 15,000 megawatts. The company currently has a total of five wind projects under construction in California, Indiana, Kansas and Texas. By the end of 2008, it's expected that over 1,000 megawatts of wind projects developed by BP Alternative Energy North America will be in operation.

BP America is the largest producer of oil and gas in the United States and one of the nation's largest energy investors. For more information, visit the company's Web sites at http://www.bpalternativenergy.com/ and http://www.bp.com/us.

SOURCE: Dominion

CONTACT: Media: Mark Lazenby, +1-804-819-2042, Mark.Lazenby@dom.com,
Ryan Frazier, +1-804-819-2521, C.Ryan.Frazier@dom.com, both of Dominion; or
Sarah Howell of BP, +1-202-457-6603; or Analysts: Laura Kottkamp,
+1-804-819-2254, Laura.E.Kottkamp@dom.com, Greg Snyder, +1-804-819-2383,,
James.Gregory.Snyder@dom.com, both of Dominion

Web site: http://www.dom.com/
http://www.bpalternativenergy.com/
http://www.bp.com/us