COLUMBUS, Ohio, June 23, 2004 - American Electric Power (NYSE:AEP) today announced that two executives with deep utility industry experience will join the company in senior roles.

Carl L. English, 57, will join AEP Aug. 1 as president, AEP Utilities, a new position. English will be responsible for AEP’s electric transmission and distribution operations that serve more than five million customers in 11 states. He will also oversee regulatory and policy matters relating to utility operations.

John B. Keane, 57, will join AEP July 1 as senior vice president, general counsel and secretary and assumes responsibility for all corporate legal affairs and supervision of AEP’s legal department. He will succeed Jeffrey D. Cross, who will become deputy general counsel.

Both executives will report directly to Michael G. Morris, AEP’s chairman, president and chief executive officer.

English joins AEP from Consumers Energy in Jackson, Mich., where he has been president and chief executive officer of the utility’s gas division since October 1999. Previously, he headed the utility’s statewide electric transmission and distribution operations, as well as customer service activities. He began his career with Consumers Energy in 1969. The company serves 1.7 million electric and 1.6 million natural gas customers in Michigan.

English earned a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering in 1968 and a master’s degree in business administration in 1969, both from Michigan State University. A native of Jackson, English has been extremely active in the community throughout his career. He currently serves on the boards of several organizations including the Jackson County Community Foundation, the United Way and INROADS. English and his wife Linda have two children.

Keane has been president of Bainbridge Crossing Advisors since January 2003. Based in West Hartford, Conn., Bainbridge is a provider of corporate and financial services, focusing on best practices in corporate governance and compliance with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act.

Keane completed a 22-year career with Northeast Utilities of Berlin, Conn., in 2002. His last position was chief administrative officer. In that role his responsibilities included information technology, human resources, purchasing and materials management, facilities, transportation, internal audit, security, shareholder services and remittance services.

Earlier in his career, Keane served Northeast Utilities as vice president and treasurer and as vice president, secretary and corporate general counsel. He joined the Northeast Utilities legal department in 1980 following eight years of private practice with a Boston law firm.

Keane earned a bachelor’s degree in economics from Brown University in 1968 and a law degree from Harvard Law School in 1972. He has been active in community affairs in the Hartford area and is past president of the Greater Hartford Arts Council. He is an Overseer of the Bushnell Center for the Arts and a Corporator of St. Francis Hospital and Medical Center. Keane and his wife Katherine have two children.

Morris said that English and Keane will add significant experience to AEP’s management.

“I have had the good fortune to work with both Carl and Jack during my career,” Morris said. “I know them to be outstanding leaders, and they will complement the AEP management team superbly. Their appointments complete the major management realignment we need to build upon AEP’s leadership position in the electric utility industry.”

American Electric Power owns and operates more than 42,000 megawatts of generating capacity in the United States and select international markets and is the largest electricity generator in the U.S. AEP is also one of the largest electric utilities in the United States, with more than 5 million customers linked to AEP’s 11-state electricity transmission and distribution grid. The company is based in Columbus, Ohio.