Dominion Virginia Power Begins Restoring Power to Customers Affected by Winter Storm

March 2, 2009

 

RICHMOND – Dominion Virginia Power has restored electric service to nearly half of the 200,000 customers, mostly in central Virginia, who were affected by the winter storm that brought heavy snow through the region Sunday evening and Monday morning.

Restoration in the areas most heavily impacted by the storm is expected to be a multi-day event because of the hazardous travel and work conditions.  Dominion has assigned employees and contractors from around its system to repair the damage. They will be assisted by crews from other electric utilities.

Dominion is asking customers without power to report their outages at 1-888-667-3000, and also report any downed power lines while remaining clear of them.

“We are focused on getting the lights back on for our customers as safely and quickly as possible,” said David A. Heacock, president of Dominion Virginia Power. “Safety is our first priority – safety of our customers and safety of our crews.

“Please stay clear of downed lines and use extreme caution if you must be on the roads where snow and downed trees could be affecting traffic patterns,” said Heacock.

The highest priority for restoration is always given to public safety and emergency situations. Transmission lines, substations and major distribution circuits that serve large numbers of customers also receive high priority.  Customer outages are automatically compiled and worked on in an order designed to restore service in the fastest possible way to the largest number of customers.

Dominion is one of the nation's largest producers of energy, with a portfolio of approximately 27,000 megawatts of generation.  Dominion serves retail energy customers in 12 states. For more information about Dominion, visit the company's Web site at http://www.dom.com.
 

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Media:
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