AEP Answers Petition By Union of Concerned Scientists

Aug. 19, 1998•News Release

BRIDGMAN, Mich., Aug. 19, 1998 -- Officials of American Electric Power's (NYSE: AEP) Cook Nuclear Plant will answer concerns raised by the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) at a Nuclear Regulatory Commission hearing today in Washington, D.C. The UCS originally submitted its petition on the plant Oct. 9, 1997 and supplemented it on Jan. 12, 1998. Plant officials shut down both units at the site in September 1997 because of questions raised during an NRC design inspection. At the informal public hearing, the NRC will hear presentations from AEP, the UCS, and also provide an opportunity for members of the public to speak. The NRC will issue a ruling on the petition at a later date. "The granting of this petition is not warranted," said AEP site vice president John Sampson. "The plant has a long history of safe and conservative operations. We have implemented a systematic restart plan to address the identified safety issues. And the NRC already has sufficient regulatory processes in place to make sure the plant is ready for safe and reliable operation before it is restarted." One of the major projects ongoing at the plant is the refurbishment of the ice condenser system. The ice condensers, which hold 2.5 million pounds of ice in 1,944 cylindrical baskets, would be used to reduce pressure in the containment building and supply long-term cooling water in the event of an accident. AEP has thawed the ice in the ice condensers of both units to facilitate repairs to the ice baskets. In addition to other repairs and inspections of the ice condenser system, all ice baskets are being inspected and will be replaced if damaged. AEP has taken responsibility for the degraded condition of the ice condenser systems, but believes they would have performed their intended safety function in the event of an accident. Virtually all information requested in the petition is encompassed by the three-phase restart plan initiated in March 1998. In Phase 1, in-depth readiness reviews of safety systems and functional areas were performed.Those reviews were evaluated by the management team to determine which issues must be addressed prior to restart. Phase 2, now in progress, includes development of the restart work schedules and concludes with completion of the identified work. The NRC will independently review the work performed and determine each unit's readiness for restart. The initial schedule, released in July, calls for the 1,020 megawatt Unit 1 to return to service before the end of the year, and the 1,090 megawatt Unit 2 during the first quarter of 1999. However, there is always the possibility for emergent work and changes in scope. It is also difficult to pinpoint an exact time-frame for unit startup after being out of service for an extended period. The NRC restart process calls for monthly public meetings with AEP to discuss restart issues. The next meeting is scheduled for Aug. 25 at NRC Region III headquarters near Chicago. AEP, a global energy company, is one of the United States' largest investor-owned utilities, providing energy to 3 million customers in Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia. AEP has holdings in the United States, the United Kingdom, China and Australia. Wholly owned subsidiaries provide power engineering, energy consulting and energy management services around the world. The company is based in Columbus, Ohio. On Dec. 22, 1997, AEP announced a definitive merger agreement for a tax-free, stock-for-stock transaction with Central and South West Corp., a public utility holding company based in Dallas. ---

For More Information, Contact: William Schalk Communications Manager American Electric Power Cook Nuclear Plant 616/465-6101 Pat D. Hemlepp Manager, Media Relations American Electric Power 614/223-1620

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