BRIDGMAN, Mich., Dec. 13, 2000 -- American Electric Power (NYSE: AEP) received authorization today from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to restart Cook Nuclear Plant Unit 1. This authorization and AEP’s continued good progress in restart activities make it possible Unit 1 could restart and reach full power before the end of the year.

James Dyer, NRC Region III Administrator, said in a letter to AEP that “the NRC has completed the actions necessary prior to restart of Unit 1.”

Following the restart of Unit 2 in June, AEP projected a first quarter 2001 restart for Unit 1. In the fall, based on the substantial progress of the restart effort, AEP asked the NRC to complete its reviews and inspections by the end of the year should an earlier restart be feasible.

“This is great news. A dedicated Cook team has worked very hard to demonstrate to the NRC that our plant, processes and people are ready to resume safe operation,” said Bob Powers, AEP senior vice president – nuclear generation. “There’s always the potential that emergent maintenance items could impact the schedule, but if our progress continues at the current pace, we’ll beat our first quarter 2001 projection.”

Heat up of the reactor coolant system to operating temperature and pressure began last Thursday. Final system checks and functional testing are under way in preparation for restart of the reactor. The NRC’s restart authorization received today allows AEP to proceed with reactor operation.

The units were idled in September 1997 because of questions raised about operability of safety systems.

“The NRC has applied a great deal of resources to the inspection and review of our work at Cook. We appreciate the rigor of their efforts and timely responses,” said Powers.

Once the reactor begins operation and reaches about 9 percent power, the output of the generator will be connected to the AEP transmission grid. An ascension to full power includes several hold points for additional system checks and tests, and is expected to take an additional 10 days.

The generating capacity of Cook Unit 1 is 1,020 megawatts, and Unit 2 is 1,090 megawatts. With both units running at full power, Cook generates enough power to serve the needs of a city of over 1 million people.

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.