12.31.2002 ET

(CSRwire) ROANOKE, VA - American Electric Power (NYSE: AEP) today received a key approval it needs to construct the proposed Wyoming-Jacksons Ferry 765-kilovolt (kV) transmission line. The decision came when the U.S. Forest Service issued its final Environmental Impact Statement and Record of Decision forming the basis for a permit that will allow the power line to cross 11 miles of public lands.

"The thorough review provided by the federal agencies helps ensure that construction of the Wyoming-Jacksons Ferry transmission line causes as little disturbance to the environment as possible," said Richard Verret, AEP senior vice president - transmission.

Surveying is under way on the state-approved 1,000-foot-wide corridor to identify the final 200-foot-wide right of way for the power line. Right-of-way acquisition for the project will begin in early 2003. Thirty-eight homes and 280 parcels are in the approved 90-mile, 1,000-foot-wide corridor. The actual number of properties affected by the power line will be reduced once location of the final 200-foot-wide right of way is determined.

The Wyoming-Jacksons Ferry project will be constructed predominantly with “V” shaped structures supported by guy wires and spaced an average of four per mile. The average tower height is 132 feet. AEP has committed to a number of mitigation steps to help reduce the disturbance caused by the project. Some of these steps include: using a darkened steel for towers to reduce reflectivity and help the project blend into the environment better; configuring wires in a manner that helps reduce noise; selectively clearing rights of way, leaving low-growing species of trees, like dogwoods and redbuds; and not clearing right of way where a 100-foot clearance above the ground exists, such as spanning valleys.

The $287 million Wyoming-Jacksons Ferry project connects transmission stations in Wyoming County, West Virginia, and Jacksons Ferry, Virginia. Announced in March 1990, construction of the project requires certificates from both state commissions and approval from federal agencies that administer lands involved in the project - the U.S. Forest Service, the U.S. Park Service and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. AEP began seeking approval to construct the project in 1991. The company’s Virginia and West Virginia regulators approved the project in May 2001 and March 2002, respectively. The new power line is expected to be in service in mid-2006.

AEP last reinforced the 765-kV transmission system that delivers electricity to its southern West Virginia, Virginia and eastern Kentucky customers in 1973. Since then, the area’s peak demand for electricity has increased more than 135 percent.

American Electric Power, an energy company with a balanced portfolio of energy assets, 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 a leading wholesale marketer of energy commodities, utilizing its energy expertise and risk management skills to make optimal use of its generation, natural gas pipeline systems, natural gas storage, coal mines and inland barge fleet. AEP is also one of the largest electric utilities in the United States, with almost 5 million customers linked to AEP’s 11-state electricity transmission and distribution grid. The company is based in Columbus, Ohio.



Additional information about the Wyoming-Jacksons Ferry Project is available on-line at
http://aep.com/about/localissues/765kv/default.htm

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