FORT WAYNE, Ind. ­– Construction crews from Indiana Michigan Power (I&M), an operating unit of American Electric Power (NYSE: AEP), will utilize helicopters to perform work on transmission lines in the Fort Wayne area beginning Wednesday, April 22, through Friday, April 24.

The work – just west of Fort Wayne – is part of I&M’s Powering Up West: Roanoke to Robison Park project.  The aerial-service contractor, Haverfield Aviation, will perform the work using Hughes MD500 helicopters that are black with red tail numbers N4265J, N50AP and N721RP.

The construction work requires a helicopter to hover over high-voltage lines and near towers and poles to pull ropes between the structures. At times, the helicopters may need to circle a single structure or area several times to perform the required activities. The aerial work is scheduled to take place during the hours of 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. this Wednesday through Friday. Weather delays could alter the flight schedule. Customers with questions or concerns should contact I&M Customer Operations Center, 800-311-4634.

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Indiana Michigan Power (I&M) is headquartered in Fort Wayne, and its 2,400 employees serve

more than 587,000 customers. It operates 3,595 MW of coal-fired generation in Indiana, 2,160

MW of nuclear generation in Michigan and 22 MW of hydro generation in both states. The

company also provides its customers 450 MW of purchased wind generation.

American Electric Power is one of the largest electric utilities in the United States, delivering

electricity to more than 5.3 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 40,000-mile network that

includes more 765 kilovolt extra-high voltage transmission lines than all other U.S. transmission

systems combined. AEP’s transmission system directly or indirectly serves about 10 percent of

the electricity demand in the Eastern Interconnection, the interconnected transmission system

that covers 38 eastern and central U.S. states and eastern Canada, and approximately 11

percent of the electricity demand in ERCOT, the transmission system that covers much of

Texas. AEP’s utility units operate as AEP Ohio, AEP Texas, Appalachian Power (in Virginia and

West Virginia), AEP Appalachian Power (in Tennessee), Indiana Michigan Power, Kentucky

Power, Public Service Company of Oklahoma, and Southwestern Electric Power Company (in

Arkansas, Louisiana and east Texas). AEP’s headquarters are in Columbus, Ohio.