Houston, Texas, December 22, 1997-El Paso Energy Corporation (NYSE:EPG) has announced three new additions to its executive management team.

Peggy Heeg has been promoted to vice president and associate general counsel and will continue to report to James R. McCotter, deputy general counsel. Ms. Heeg, 38, has been with the company since 1990 and has held various positions within the legal department. She graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from the University of Louisville and received her law degree from the University of Louisville Law School.

Sue Ortenstone has been promoted to vice president of El Paso Gas Services, reporting to H. Brent Austin, executive vice president and chief financial officer. In this newly created position, she will be responsible for the acquisition and management of interstate pipeline capacity, focusing on strategic expansion projects. Ms. Ortenstone, 41, has been with the company since 1979 and has held various engineering positions. She graduated from the University of Wisconsin with a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering.

Basil Woller has been promoted to vice president and general auditor, reporting to H. Brent Austin. Mr. Woller, 42, has been with the company since 1979 and has led the corporate auditing function since 1987. He is a certified public accountant and a certified internal auditor. He received a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology from the University of Notre Dame and a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Texas
at Austin.

El Paso Energy Corporation provides total energy solutions through five business units: El Paso Natural Gas Company, Tennessee Gas Pipeline Company, El Paso Field Services Company, El Paso Energy Marketing Company and El Paso International Company. With offices worldwide, the company has operations in interstate natural gas transmission, gas gathering and processing, energy marketing and international infrastructure development.

This release includes forward-looking statements and projections, made in reliance on the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The company has made every reasonable effort to ensure that the information and assumptions on which these statements and projections are based are current, reasonable, and complete. However, a variety of factors could cause actual results to differ materially from the projections, anticipated results or other expectations expressed in this release. While the company makes these statements and projections in good faith, neither the company nor its management can guarantee that the anticipated future results will be achieved. Reference should be made to the company's (and its affiliates') Securities and Exchange Commission filings for additional important factors that may affect actual results.