COLUMBUS, Ohio, June 13, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- American Electric Power (NYSE: AEP) today received the 2017 Edison Award, the Edison Electric Institute's (EEI) premier award recognizing "distinguished leadership, innovation and contribution to the advancement of the electric industry for the benefit of all." AEP is the first U.S. company to receive the Edison Award in consecutive years and has earned this honor three of the last five years. AEP has won more Edison Awards than any other company, a total of seven since the 1950s.
"AEP has embraced the challenges of a changing energy landscape, developing innovative solutions and new approaches to better meet the energy needs and expectations of our customers," said Nicholas K. Akins, AEP chairman, president and chief executive officer. "We have 18,000 employees who are at the core of our efforts to become the energy company of the future. Being recognized by our peers with the Edison Award two years in a row is a testament to the expertise, commitment and agility of our team."
AEP was honored this year for its work developing the Breakthrough Overhead Line Design (BOLD), a groundbreaking transmission structure and line design that can increase capacity and efficiency in existing rights-of-way. The BOLD structures are nearly 50 feet shorter and more compact than conventional 345-kilovolt transmission tower designs and can deliver up to 60 percent more power in the same right-of-way. The first in-service BOLD project is located near Fort Wayne, Indiana. Another project will be energized in Indiana this summer, and additional projects are planned across AEP's system.
In 2016, AEP's project to upgrade the transmission system supplying the Rio Grande Valley in Texas was recognized by EEI. AEP replaced 240 miles of transmission lines and upgraded five substations while the system remained energized.
AEP received the Edison Award in 2013 for its construction of the John W. Turk, Jr. Power Plant. The plant was the first in the nation to use advanced ultra-supercritical technology, which generates power using less fuel and reduces emissions.
EEI annually selects Edison Award winners from nominations submitted by its members. A panel of former utility industry executives selects the recipients.
American Electric Power is one of the largest electric utilities in the United States, delivering electricity and custom energy solutions to nearly 5.4 million customers in 11 states. AEP owns the nation's largest electricity transmission system, a more than 40,000-mile network that includes more 765-kilovolt extra-high voltage transmission lines than all other U.S. transmission systems combined. AEP also operates 224,000 miles of distribution lines. AEP ranks among the nation's largest generators of electricity, owning approximately 26,000 megawatts of generating capacity in the U.S. AEP supplies 3,200 megawatts of renewable energy to customers. 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.
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SOURCE American Electric Power
