Congressman Hoyer Tours Cove Point

LUSBY, MD - Congressman Steny Hoyer today toured Dominion Cove Point Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) Facility where he was briefed by Mike Frederick, the Director of LNG Operations, Mike Garner, the Manager of LNG Operations and the U.S. Coast Guard about the Facility's operations and the safety measures they have in place.

"I was pleased to visit Cove Point today to tour the facility and learn about their plans for expansion," said Congressman Hoyer. "Cove Point is our nation's largest LNG energy facility, and it will most definitely will play an increasingly significant role in the delivery of natural gas to our nation's citizens in the near future. Natural gas is the principle source of new energy for many of our day-to-day needs and an important part of a diversified national energy supply. I look forward to continuing to work with Dominion Cove Point to ensure that they remain a leader in providing this vital energy source to our region," Hoyer added.

"Dominion is proud to have Congressman Steny Hoyer visit the Dominion Cove Point LNG Terminal and see the operation first hand," said Thomas F. Farrell, Dominion's president and chief operating officer. "Dominion Cove Point is safely and efficiently bringing needed new energy supplies into the southern Maryland region where it can be used for industrial purposes, home heating and electrical generation."

Dominion Cove Point LNG is the nation's largest liquefied natural gas import facility and is one of only four LNG terminals in the United States. Dominion acquired Cove Point in 2002 and began receiving ships in the summer of 2003. They predict that demand for natural gas is expected to grow by at least 20 percent over the next decade.

Cove Point has a storage capacity of 5 billion cubic feet and sends out 1 billion cubic feet each day - enough energy to run about 3.4 million homes every day. Dominion is currently construction a fifth LNG tank at Cove Point, which will provide an additional 2.5 billion cubic feet of storage capacity. Dominion expects to put the new tank in service early in 2005.

Dominion plans to nearly double its capacity at Cove Point in order to move more natural gas to consumers in Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern states where it is in high demand. This expansion is expected to help stabilize the cost of home heating bills and bring jobs to the region. The expansion project also includes new pipeline projects to deliver the gas.

At the event, Congressman Hoyer was also briefed by Dominion officials and the U.S. Coast Guard on their efforts to ensure that safety remains a top priority at Cove Point. The Coast Guard has jurisdiction on the tanker as it is in transit in the Chesapeake Bay and docked at the offshore platform.

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