Charleston, W.Va., March 4, 2009 – As of 9 a.m., Appalachian Power reports that the transmission system serving the Virginias and eastern Kentucky is stable, thanks in part to customer response to the appeal for conservation.            

Appalachian Power requested that customers in its southern territory conserve electricity early Wednesday morning to help alleviate potential electric transmission problems. In recent weeks, winter storms damaged two key transmission lines that bring electricity into the region. The loss of the facilities, combined with extremely low temperatures presented the potential for problems.
           
“Customers responded to the appeal and curbed their consumption by several hundred megawatts,” said Joe Whitehead, Appalachian Power manager of transmission dispatching. “The response at a critical time helped stabilize the grid and prevent unplanned interruptions in service. We extend thanks to all who were able to respond to the appeal.”
           
Appalachian Power crews continue to make repairs to the two transmission structures that were damaged. One 345 kV transmission line in an extremely remote area near Mountain Lake, Va., should be repaired today. Work continues on a 765 kV transmission line that collapsed in February in West Virginia. This work is expected to be completed by mid-March.
 
Appalachian Power’s appeal was extended to Appalachian Power customers south of and including Beckley, W.Va., Lynchburg, Va., and Kentucky Power customers in and south of Hazard, Ky., including Kingsport, Tenn.
           
Appalachian Power provides electricity to 1 million customers in Virginia, West Virginia and Tennessee (as AEP Appalachian Power). It is a unit of American Electric Power (NYSE: AEP), one of the largest electric utilities in the United States, with 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.