Gahanna, Ohio (Sept. 16, 2008) – AEP Ohio has restored power to approximately 152,000 customers of the peak 650,000 customers across its service territory impacted by Sunday´s high winds from Hurricane Ike. An estimated 493,000 customers remain without power this morning. AEP Ohio is working to restore power to all parts of the service territory, focusing first on emergency services and main-line circuits that serve the largest number of customers.
A total of 738 company, external utility and contractor distribution line workers, including company employees from Appalachian Power, Kentucky Power, Indiana Michigan Power and Public Service Company of Oklahoma (PSO), are arriving today and tomorrow to assist AEP Ohio in restoring power. External utilities responding with their own company or contract workers include Consumers Energy, Entergy, Progress Energy, Dominion, Cleco and Florida Power & Light. Contractors include Hawkeye, Wisconsin, Tiede´s Construction, Asplundh (line), Minnesota Allete, and MasTec. In addition, approximately 1,000 contract tree workers, including AEP contractors that had been released by Entergy from Hurricane Gustav restoration work in Louisiana, are assisting.
AEP Ohio appreciates the patience of its customers as it works to clear downed power lines and restore power.
Estimated Restoration
The following estimated restoration times are being provided for the following areas. These estimates are preliminary and will be updated as restoration efforts continue.
Athens District, including the Athens, Lancaster, Marietta, Pomeroy and Wellston areas: Customers in the Marietta, Pomeroy and Gallipolis areas have been restored. The company anticipates approximately 90 percent of the customers without power in the Athens and Wellston areas to be restored by midnight Wednesday and by midnight Friday for those customers in the Lancaster area.
Canton District, including the Canton, Wooster, New Philadelphia, Coshocton areas: The company anticipates 90 percent of its customers in these areas restored by midnight Friday and will have more detailed information for specific areas later today.
Chillicothe District, including the Ironton, Chesapeake, Hillsboro, Portsmouth, Chillicothe and Seaman areas: Power has been restored to customers in the Ironton and Chesapeake areas. The company estimates that customers in the Seaman area will be restored this evening and customers in the Hillsboro areas be restored by midnight Wednesday. The company anticipates power will be restored to customers in the Portsmouth area by midnight Friday and by midnight Saturday for customers in the Chillicothe area.
Columbus District, including Delaware, Columbus and surrounding communities: The company estimates that 90 percent of its customers in these areas will be restored by midnight Sunday. More detailed information on restoration efforts in the Columbus area will be available later this afternoon.
Newark District, including the Newark, Mt, Vernon, Zanesville, Cambridge, Crooksville areas: The company anticipates 90 percent of its customers in these areas restored by midnight Sunday and will have more detailed information on restoration efforts available later this afternoon.
Ohio Valley District, including Wheeling, Belmont and Steubenville areas: The company anticipates 90 percent of its customers in the Wheeling and Belmont areas restored by midnight Friday and by midnight Sunday for customers in the Steubenville area.
Western Ohio District, including the Van Wert, Kenten, Tiffin, Findlay and Lima areas: Customers without power in the Tiffin and Fremont areas will be restored by midnight tonight and anticipates 90 percent of its customers in the remaining areas to be restored by midnight Wednesday.
Important Safety Message
If you use a portable or RV generator, do not plug the generator into your circuit box. Portable generators “backfeed” electricity up the line and risk the lives of repair workers and the public. Follow the manufacturers’ instructions carefully, and plug essential appliances directly into the generator.
Look for additional important customer and safety messages on aepohio.com. AEP Ohio provides electricity to nearly 1.5 million customers of major AEP subsidiaries Columbus Southern Power Company and Ohio Power Company in Ohio, and Wheeling Power Company in the northern panhandle of West Virginia. AEP Ohio is based in Gahanna, Ohio. The company serves all or part of 61 counties in Ohio and two in West Virginia.
American Electric Power is one of the largest electric utilities in the United States, delivering electricity to more than 5 million customers in 11 states. AEP ranks among the nation’s largest generators of electricity, owning nearly 38,000 megawatts of generating capacity in the U.S. AEP also owns the nation’s largest electricity transmission system, a nearly 39,000-mile network that includes more 765 kilovolt extra-high voltage transmission lines than all other U.S. transmission systems combined. AEP’s transmission system directly or indirectly serves about 10 percent of the electricity demand in the Eastern Interconnection, the interconnected transmission system that covers 38 eastern and central U.S. states and eastern Canada, and approximately 11 percent of the electricity demand in ERCOT, the transmission system that covers much of Texas. AEP’s utility units operate as AEP Ohio, AEP Texas, Appalachian Power (in Virginia and West Virginia), AEP Appalachian Power (in Tennessee), Indiana Michigan Power, Kentucky Power, Public Service Company of Oklahoma, and Southwestern Electric Power Company (in Arkansas, Louisiana and east Texas). AEP’s headquarters are in Columbus, Ohio.