Houston, Texas, March 17, 1999-Tennessee Gas Pipeline Company, a business unit of El Paso Energy Corporation (NYSE:EPG), announced today it has filed its application with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission for the Eastern Express Project 2000. This project is scheduled to provide firm transportation service commencing November 2000 from the interconnect at Haverhill, Massachusetts and the planned interconnect at Dracut, Massachusetts with the Portland Natural Gas Transmission System and the Maritimes & Northeast Pipeline to delivery points in New England. Shippers have executed binding firm transportation agreements for 173,000 dekatherms per day of capacity. This capacity will primarily be utilized to serve new gas-fired power generation plants in the New England region.

The new capacity will be created using existing pipe and right-of-way and the installation of 13,320 horsepower of compression at two existing compressor stations. Total capital is estimated to be $28 million.

Looking to the future, Tennessee also announced plans for the next phase of Eastern Express which will focus on emerging capacity requirements in New England and New York. While Tennessee believes the majority of the capacity will be required in 2002, Tennessee will work with shippers that have earlier capacity needs. Tennessee will announce the details of the open season(s) at a later date.

Regarding the plans for constructing the Eastern Express 2000 facilities and soliciting shipper input for 2001 and 2002, John Somerhalder, president of Tennessee Gas Pipeline, said, "This is another example of Tennessee's flexibility and responsiveness to the market. We have been consistent in our message to the market that we can phase in capacity as the industry is ready for it rather than building mega-projects. The use of our existing corridors allows Tennessee to minimize the environmental impact while still delivering an economic project."

With over $10 billion in assets, El Paso Energy Corporation provides energy solutions through five business units: Tennessee Gas Pipeline Company, El Paso Natural Gas Company, El Paso Field 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, energy marketing, power generation and international energy 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 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.