COLUMBUS, Ohio, March 25, 1999 – Because the summer’s transmission plans are being made now in the market, American Electric Power (NYSE: AEP) officials confirmed today that the dual-unit, 2,110-megawatt Cook Nuclear Plant will not return to service for the peak demand months of June, July and August. “We’re making every effort possible to keep the market informed about our transmission capability,” said W. Robert Kelley, vice president - system operation. “The Cook plant affects critical pathways for some transmission customers’ power supply, and the market needs to know the availability of transmission services before they can finalize their energy options. Our announcement today will allow transmission customers to plan for their energy needs across the Midwest during the summer season.” Kelley said that the volume of requests received by AEP for the summer has exceeded the company’s transmission capacity on some paths. “Knowing about Cook allows us to better determine our limits and to respond to requests that are currently outstanding for transmission service on the AEP system,” Kelley said. The Cook plant, in Bridgman, Mich., represents about 9 percent of AEP’s generating capacity. Plant officials shut down both units at the site in September 1997 because of questions raised during a Nuclear Regulatory Commission design inspection. AEP is currently performing engineering reviews on plant safety systems to determine the extent of repairs needed before the plant is put back in service. If the findings of the reviews are extensive, it could push the restart date to the end of the year. A restart schedule for the Cook plant will be available in early June, as previously announced. 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.