COLUMBUS, Ohio, Oct. 4, 1999 – Dr. Martin Uman, recognized as one of the world’s leading experts on lightning, will serve as keynote speaker for an American Electric Power (NYSE: AEP) seminar on lightning Oct. 19 and 20 in Columbus. Uman serves as professor and chair of the University of Florida’s Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. He is director of the UF Lightning Research Laboratory and director of the International Center for Lightning Research and Testing at Camp Blanding, Fla. The Electric Power Research Institute estimates that lightning costs U.S. electric utilities $1 billion annually. Other U.S. businesses also suffer significant revenue loss from lightning strikes. The National Lightning Safety Institute estimates the cost of lightning-related losses across the U.S. at between $4 billion and $5 billion a year. “One of the major causes of power interruption and equipment damage on the AEP system is lightning," said Dave Crabtree, AEP's vice president, Consumer Services. “AEP is presenting this seminar as a tool for educating AEP customers and other interested parties about the physics of lightning, its detection and location, and its impact on utility, industrial, commercial and residential facilities.” Crabtree said presenters will also examine personnel safety in a lightning environment, and facility protective measures such as shielding, bonding, grounding and surge protection. The two-day seminar is set for Oct. 19 and 20 at the Four Points Sheraton Hotel, 2124 Hamilton Road, Columbus. Exhibitors of related products will participate in the event. Registration for the seminar may be made by contacting Jo Tosado-Wade at (614) 883-7505. 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.