COLUMBUS, Ohio, Jan. 13, 2006 – Columbus Southern Power Company and Ohio Power Company, subsidiaries of American Electric Power (NYSE: AEP) doing business as AEP Ohio, have scheduled a public informational meeting in Meigs County, Ohio, in connection with the companies’ previously announced plans to build and operate a new clean-coal technology power plant in Meigs County.
 
     The meeting, scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 24, at the Southern Elementary School, 906 Elm St., Racine, Ohio, is part of the formal siting process established by the Ohio Power Siting Board (OPSB) and will allow area residents to obtain information concerning the need for the project, the project schedule, the design of the facility, and other pertinent facts about the project. 
 
     AEP has proposed a 600-megawatt facility in Meigs County to satisfy the growing energy needs of the 1.4 million customers served by AEP’s Ohio subsidiaries.  The plant will use Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle (IGCC) clean-coal technology, the first commercial-scale use of the technology for power generation and the largest IGCC plant announced to date.  The IGCC power plant will be a baseload facility designed for continuous operation under normal conditions.  The estimated cost of the facility is $1.2 billion.  AEP Ohio provides power to more than 890 communities located in 61 of Ohio’s 88 counties. 
 
     In March 2005, AEP Ohio filed an application with the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio seeking authority to recover costs related to building and operating the new clean-coal technology power plant. 
 
     IGCC technology represents an advanced form of coal-based generation that offers enhanced environmental performance. The integrated process results in reduced emissions of nitrogen oxide, sulfur dioxide, particulates, mercury and carbon dioxide.
 
     “This public meeting and subsequent filing with the Ohio Power Siting Board are part of our efforts to keep the project on track for completion in 2010 should the Great Bend site be selected as the first IGCC plant location,” said Kevin E. Walker, president and chief operating officer of AEP Ohio. 
 
     The OPSB is responsible for reviewing information related to the project -- including input from the public -- and determining whether the proposed facility meets the suitability and necessity requirements of the siting process.  CSP and OPCo plan to file their formal application with the OPSB in February 2006, for the Board’s review and approval.  If the application is approved construction of the plant would begin in 2007 and is scheduled for completion in 2010. 
 
     Additional information about the IGCC project can be found online at  http://www.aep.com/go/igcc.  Interested parties may also request information or comment on the project by dialing 1-866-IGCC-478 (1-866-442-2478.)
 
     AEP Ohio provides electricity to 1.4 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, and is a unit of American Electric Power. 

     American Electric Power owns more than 36,000 megawatts of generating capacity in the United States and is the nation´s largest electricity generator.  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.   
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