12/10/2008 9:59:04 AM

Old Dominion Electric Cooperative (ODEC), a not-for-profit power provider to 10 local electric cooperatives in Virginia, announced it has selected a preferred site for a proposed base load power generation facility. Earlier this year, ODEC announced it was considering the feasibility of constructing the power station, which would use advanced-technology generation and be fueled by a mixture of coal and biomass, a form of renewable energy.

The approximately 1,600-acre preferred site is located in Dendron, Va. (Surry County). It was chosen for further assessment after ODEC conducted an extensive siting study of potential locations in the Mid-Atlantic region. The study found that this site, as well as another located in Sussex County, meets important criteria including access to transmission lines and rail transportation, and a sufficient footprint to accommodate a generation facility, while at the same time balancing these attributes with efforts to try to mitigate environmental impacts. ODEC continues to evaluate both of these sites and will continue to pursue the possibility of utilizing the Sussex County site.

David Hudgins, director of member and external communications for ODEC, said a combination of factors led the organization to consider constructing this new facility, which would be called Cypress Creek Power Station. ODEC forecasts energy demand among its consumer-members will double in the next 20 years. Further, ODEC currently purchases 55 percent of its consumer-members energy demand through wholesale market energy contracts. The cost of wholesale purchases has been volatile because they are driven by the price of natural gas, the cost of which has risen 75 percent during the past five years.

The Cypress Creek Power Station will not only provide our consumer-members with safe, reliable and affordable energy, but it will also provide many significant short- and long-term economic benefits to Dendron and surrounding areas, said Hudgins. From construction jobs to facility operations jobs and annual tax contributions, the economic benefits of this project, combined with our proven track record of responsibly managing similar operations, make this a win-win project for the local community.

ODEC will continue to work closely with local officials, businesses and residents throughout various phases of the facilitys development. In July, 2008 it launched www.odecpowerstation.com (now www.cypresscreekpowerstation.com) to help keep local citizens and others informed about this project. ODEC also plans to hold open house meetings to continue providing information and addressing any questions that local residents might have about Cypress Creek Power Station.
Our organization has a proven track record of building power generation capacity that balances the need for additional electricity for Virginias future with being a responsible partner in the communities in which we operate, stated Hudgins. We are committed to working with our consumer-members on continued efforts toward energy efficiency and peak load reduction, and focusing on the development of future generation that will provide reliable and economical electricity in an environmentally responsible and safe manner. This includes our continued examination and addition of renewable energy resources, as well as emerging technologies to address energy and environmental issues.

About ODEC
ODEC is a generation-and-transmission cooperative that provides wholesale power to 12 member electric distribution cooperatives in Virginia, Maryland and Delaware. ODEC and its member systems are not-for-profit electric cooperatives that are owned by their consumer-members. The cooperative system serves nearly 1.3 million people.

ODEC currently owns 11.6 percent of the North Anna Nuclear Power Plant in Louisa County and 50 percent of the Clover Power Station in Halifax County. The organization also owns and operates the Louisa Generation Facility in Louisa County and the Marsh Run Generation Facility in Fauquier County. Additionally, ODEC owns 50 percent of the Rock Springs Generating Facility in Cecil County, Md. For more information, visit www.odec.com.