ROCKY MOUNT, Va., October 10, 2011 – Appalachian Power, a subsidiary of American Electric Power (AEP) and licensed operator of the Smith Mountain Hydroelectric Project in Southwestern Virginia, has launched an updated website that provides more power plant and lake information and is easier to access for area residents.

            The site can be found at www.smithmtn.com . It is also available through www.AppalachianPower.com

            “This is part of our on-going effort to increase communications outreach to the communities surrounding the two lakes that make up the project as well as make communications with Appalachian easier for residents and other lake users,” said Frank Simms who manages Appalachian and AEP’s hydroelectric operations. “We will continue to focus on the website as a major source of contact and information.”

            The site includes specific news updates for the hydroelectric project, details and answers to frequently-asked questions about the Shoreline Management Plan and on-line access to applications for specific permits required of property owners. Site visitors can also see a short video showing how the project operates and discover the recently remodeled visitors center above Smith Mountain Dam.

            Property owners and visitors can use the site to report floating debris that is found in Smith Mountain and Leesville reservoirs. Reports can still be phoned in by calling the company’s 24-hour, toll-free Customer Solutions Center at 1-800-956-4237.    

Smith Mountain Project is a 636-megawatt pumped storage hydroelectric facility that utilizes an upper reservoir (Smith Mountain Lake) and a lower reservoir (Leesville Lake).  Water stored in Smith Mountain Lake first passes through turbine-generators in the powerhouse to produce electricity and is discharged into Leesville Lake.  Most of the water is retained in Leesville Lake and pumped back into the Smith Mountain Lake for re-use.  A portion of the water goes through the turbine-generators at the Leesville powerhouse to generate additional electricity and to meet the minimum discharge requirements of the project's operating license. 

            Appalachian Power provides electricity to 1 million customers in Virginia, West Virginia and Tennessee (as AEP Appalachian Power). It is a unit of American Electric Power (NYSE: AEP), one of the largest electric utilities in the United States, with more than 5 million customers in 11 states. AEP ranks among the nation’s largest generators of electricity, owning nearly 38,000 megawatts of generating capacity in the U.S. AEP also owns the nation’s largest electricity transmission system, a nearly 39,000-mile network that includes more 765 kilovolt extra-high voltage transmission lines than all other U.S. transmission systems combined. 

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