RICHMOND, Va., July 15, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Dominion Virginia Power has been recognized by the Southeastern Electric Exchange (SEE), a nonprofit organization of investor-owned electric utility companies, for successfully and innovatively rebuilding a critical 96-mile transmission line.

"We are proud to have received this recognition from the Southeastern Electric Exchange," said Paul Koonce, chief executive officer of Dominion's energy infrastructure group and president of Dominion Virginia Power. "The award reflects the hard work of our employees, our unwavering focus on safety and our commitment to excellence."

The SEE selected a winning utility in 12 industry categories. Dominion was recognized in the transmission line category for rebuilding its 500-kilovolt line from Mount Storm, W.Va., to Doubs, Md. The SEE selected the project based on excellence in achievement, innovation, improvements, requirements and technical complexity.

The 96-mile transmission line from Mount Storm to Doubs is a vital part of the electric grid serving Virginia, West Virginia and Maryland. Built in 1966, the line required replacement, and Dominion rebuilt the line while increasing its capacity by about 66 percent and continuing to provide safe and reliable service. Despite working in extremely mountainous terrain, Dominion was able to take the line out of service temporarily without putting the regional grid at risk. The project was completed one year ahead of schedule in June 2014. For additional information about the project, visit www.dom.com and search: Mount Storm to Doubs.

Dominion's Mount Storms-Doubs project team accepted the Industry Excellence Award at the SEE's Annual Conference and Trade Show on June 25, 2015, in Hershey, Pa.

Last year, Dominion was named 'Utility of the Year' by Electric Light & Power for its infrastructure investments, customer satisfaction and sustainability initiatives.

Dominion Virginia Power is a subsidiary of Dominion (NYSE: D), one of the nation's largest producers and transporters of energy with operations in 14 states. Dominion has a portfolio of approximately 20,400 megawatts of generation and 6,455 miles of electric transmission lines, and operates one of the nation's largest natural gas storage systems with 928 billion cubic feet of storage capacity and serves utility and retail energy customers in 13 states. For more information about Dominion, visit the company's website at www.dom.com/.

SOURCE Dominion Virginia Power