Houston, Texas, September 16, 1999-Tennessee Gas Pipeline Company, a business unit of El Paso Energy Corporation (NYSEG:EPG), announced plans today to hold an Open Season for the Eastern Express: New England Expansion.

Fueled by new supplies entering the northeastern region of the United States, the New England Expansion is designed to provide firm transportation service to the developing power generation sector in New England and the Mid-Atlantic region. Service under the project is scheduled to begin in the fall of 2001.

"This project is another example of the type of scalable expansions Tennessee Gas Pipeline can offer to support emerging supply and market opportunities," said John Somerhalder, president of Tennessee Gas Pipeline. "The Eastern Express Project 2000 laid the groundwork for additional transportation options in New England. The New England Expansion takes Eastern Express Project 2000 a step further by increasing the ability to transport gas to new markets in New England and the Mid-Atlantic region."

The New England Expansion augments the Eastern Express Project 2000, which was filed with the FERC on March 17, 1999. The Eastern Express Project 2000 will provide firm transportation service from an interconnect at Dracut, Massachusetts with the Portland Natural Gas Transmission System/Maritimes and Northeast Joint Pipeline to delivery points in New England. The New England Expansion will provide additional transportation options by expanding and upgrading Tennessee's infrastructure using existing rights-of-way and facilities to minimize greenfield construction.

The non-binding Open Season for the New England Expansion will commence on September 16, 1999 and close on October 15, 1999 at 2:00 p.m. CST. Tennessee plans to discuss and mutually agree upon rates as part of the precedent agreement negotiations to be held with the parties participating in the Open Season.

Interested parties can obtain a detailed information package, which includes guidelines and subscription forms, by contacting Rob Haas at (617) 790-5822, Tina Sciaraffa at (617) 342-3682, or by sending a faxed request to (617) 204-5787. Information will also be available next week on the internet at www.tennesseeadvantage.com/neexpand/.

With over $10 billion in assets, El Paso Energy Corporation provides energy solutions through its strategic business units: Tennessee Gas Pipeline Company, El Paso Natural Gas Company, El Paso Field Services Company, El Paso Power Services Company, El Paso Energy Marketing Company, and El Paso Energy International Company. The company owns the nation's only integrated coast-to-coast natural gas pipeline system and has operations in natural gas transmission, gas gathering and processing, power generation, energy marketing, and international energy infrastructure development. On June 10, the stockholders of both El Paso Energy and Sonat Inc. overwhelmingly voted in favor of merging the two organizations. The merger is expected to close in the third or fourth quarter of this year, concurrent with the completion of regulatory reviews. Visit El Paso Energy's web site at www.epenergy.com.

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 companies have 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 companies make these statements and projections in good faith, neither the companies nor their managements can guarantee that the anticipated future results will be achieved. Reference should be made to the companies' (and their affiliates') Securities and Exchange Commission filings for additional important factors that may affect actual results.