COLUMBUS, Ohio, Jan. 10, 2001 – The role of technology in shaping the outcome of electricity restructuring is one of the topics attracting worldwide interest among engineers planning to attend a conference hosted later this month by American Electric Power (NYSE:AEP).

Important changes in the electricity industry are driven by legislation but enabled by technology, according to Howard Pierce, a plenary session panelist at The Power Engineering Society 2001 Winter Meeting to be held Jan. 28 – Feb. 1 at the Hyatt Regency Hotel.

Pierce is president and chief executive officer at ABB, USA Inc. He will join panelists John Hammerly, vice president of marketing – North America, at Alstrom Esca Corp., and Paul Turner, vice president and chief technology officer at American Management Systems, during the plenary session on energy and information.

Included in the session are discussions on the use of the power system communications bandwidth to facilitate energy and other trading opportunities. The program will focus on the future uses of information technology and expansion of power system communications capabilities to maintain reliable service while improving system operational aspects and efficiencies.

The changing structure of the electricity industry has made it extremely costly and difficult to site new transmission lines, forcing engineers to search for ways to maximize transmission capacity. An example of one breakthrough technology is the Unified Power Flow Controller, the world’s first advanced solid-state transmission control system that offers a cost-effective way to control the flow of electricity. The UPFC was developed by AEP, Westinghouse Electric and the Electric Power Research Institute and will be on display during a tour of AEP’s Inez Station in Kentucky.

Additional conference highlights include tours to the AEP Dolan Technology Center, Ohio State University’s high voltage laboratory and Battelle Memorial Institute. Several technical sessions will be devoted to power quality issues, distributed generation technologies, such as microturbines and fuel cells, which will allow the placement of small units in strategic locations without costly investments.

Interested media and other participants may find complete conference details on the World Wide Web or by calling AEP representative Tai Wong, P.E., at 614/223-1247 or the Power Engineering Society Executive Office at 732/562-3883. The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers is sponsoring the annual event.

American Electric Power is a multinational energy company based in Columbus, Ohio. AEP owns and operates more than 38,000 megawatts of generating capacity, making it one of America’s largest generators of electricity. The company is also a leading wholesale energy marketer and trader, ranking second in the U.S. in electricity volume. AEP provides retail electricity to more than 9 million customers worldwide and has more than $35 billion in assets, primarily in the U.S. with holdings in select international markets. Wholly owned subsidiaries are involved in power engineering and construction services, energy management and telecommunications.