AEP TO HOST ENGINEERING CONFERENCE IN OHIO

The Power Engineering Society 2001 Winter Meeting will be held Jan. 28-Feb.1 at the Hyatt Regency Hotel. The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers is sponsoring the annual event.

“Turning the Century” is the theme of the conference, which will focus on market strategy and concepts, ancillary services, the latest operating and equipment concepts and Internet applications.

The four-day extravaganza will feature more than 100 technical sessions covering distributed generation, power quality and digital teleprotection. A nationally renowned lecturer, Arthur A. Thompson of the University of Alabama, will give an all-day presentation on critical and strategic issues facing the electric utility industry as it transitions into competition.

A panel of industry professionals will lead a discussion on the future uses of information technology and expansion of power system communications capabilities to maintain reliable service, while improving system operational efficiencies. The group will also discuss ways to use the power system communications’ bandwidth to facilitate energy and other trading opportunities.

Panel members include:

• Howard Pierce, president and CEO - ABB Inc. USA
• John (J.D.) Hammerly, vice president – marketing/North America – Alstrom Esca Corp.
• Dr. Paul Turner, vice president and chief technology officer – American Management System

The PES Power Engineering Education Committee will sponsor three tutorials during the conference:

1. Power System Fundamentals – Designed for participants who possess a general engineering background and want to learn or review some of the basics of power system engineering. Dr. Bruce Wollenberg, professor of electrical engineering at the University of Minnesota will teach the course. Wollenberg is a world leading authority in power systems engineering.

2. Electromagnetic Transient Program Applications to Power System Protection - The tutorial will cover the capabilities of EMTP and make power system protection engineers more aware of its potential applications in the areas of power system protection, relay modeling and relay testing.

3. Voltage flicker – Designed to familiarize engineers with IEC flicker measure and application procedures. The session will focus on issues associated with voltage and lamp flicker, especially existing IEC flicker standards and their possible adoption in North America.

Participants may choose from several tours during the conference, including a trip to AEP’s Inez Station in Kentucky, home to the Unified Power Flow Controller. The UPFC is the world’s first advanced solid-state transmission system that makes it possible to control the flow of electricity. Tours will also be offered at the AEP Dolan Technology Center laboratory, which tests electrical equipment; The Ohio State University’s high voltage laboratory and Honda of America’s East Liberty auto plant.

Complete conference details are available 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.

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.