COLUMBUS, Ohio, March 8, 1999 -- Ohio´s first Solar School energy system under the national Million Solar Roofs Initiative was dedicated today at Bluffsview Elementary School in Worthington, Ohio.

Speakers at the ceremony included Dan Reicher, assistant secretary of the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, U.S. Department of Energy; U.S. Rep. Ralph Regula; Damon Asbury, superintendent of the Worthington School District; E. Linn Draper Jr., chairman, president and chief executive officer of American Electric Power (NYSE: AEP); and Steve Percy, chairman and chief executive officer of BP America, Inc.

The program dedicated a 2,000-watt BP Solar energy system, consisting of 30 75-watt modules, each 21 inches by 47 inches, which was installed at the school. The structure, approximately 21 feet by 12 feet, is mounted on the ground and electrically connected to the school building. Internet-based software developed by AEP allows students and others to click on to www.aep.com/environment/solar to see the energy demands of the school and the amount of energy supplied by the panels.

The Million Solar Roofs Initiative is a voluntary effort to increase the use of solar energy systems and build market demand to improve the economy and the environment. It has as its goal the installation of one million solar energy systems on U.S. buildings by 2010. The Department of Energy is the lead agency for the initiative.

The Solar Schools program is a collaborative effort of companies interested in helping schools around the world install solar energy panels and learn about energy resources. At Bluffsview, collaborating companies included: American Electric Power; BP Solar; Energy Management Corporation; Foundation for Environmental Education; Grange Mutual Casualty Company; Ohio Air Quality Development Authority; Ohio Department of Development Office of Energy Efficiency; Ohio Environmental Council; Ohio EPA -- Office of Pollution Prevention; U.S. Department of Energy; Viron Energy Services; and the Worthington School District.

The Bluffsview project is the first of the partners’ goal of 100 schools to install such a system. Since January, five Ohio schools have pledged to join the program.

BP Amoco p.l.c. is one of the three largest integrated energy companies in the world. It operates in more than 100 countries on six continents. Each day, the Group produces almost three million barrels of oil equivalent, of which 65 percent is oil and 35 percent natural gas. It owns or operates 23,000 miles of pipeline, much of it in the United States where it is one of the top three marketers of gasoline with about 15,000 service stations. Outside North America, there are a further 11,500 service stations. The Group also has extensive chemical and solar interests.

AEP, a global energy company, is one of the United States’ largest investor-owned utilities, providing energy to 3 million customers in Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia. AEP has holdings in the United States, the United Kingdom, China and Australia. Wholly owned subsidiaries provide power engineering, energy consulting and energy management services around the world. The company is based in Columbus, Ohio. On Dec. 22, 1997, AEP announced a definitive merger agreement for a tax-free, stock-for-stock transaction with Central and South West Corp., a public utility holding company based in Dallas.