BRIDGMAN, Mich., June 23, 2000 – American Electric Power’s (NYSE: AEP) Cook Nuclear Plant Unit 2 entered Mode 2, or reactor start up, at 6:32 p.m. yesterday. Startup is defined as a sustained nuclear fission chain reaction and the reactor is at less than 1 percent power. There is no electrical power generated in this mode.

Plant engineers and operators will perform tests on the reactor before increasing power.

Once the reactor reaches about 9 percent power, the output of the generator will be connected to the AEP transmission grid. Ascension to full power includes several hold points for additional system checks and tests, and is expected to take five to seven days.

On June 13, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) concurred that the plant was safe and ready for restart.

American Electric Power is a multinational energy company based in Columbus, Ohio. AEP is one of the United States´ largest generators of electricity with more than 38,000 megawatts of generating capacity. AEP is also one of the nation´s leading wholesale energy marketers and traders. AEP delivers electricity to more than 4.8 million customers in 11 states -- Arkansas, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Ohio, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and West Virginia. The company serves more than 4 million customers outside the U.S. through holdings in Australia, Brazil, China, Mexico and the United Kingdom. Wholly owned subsidiaries are involved in power engineering and construction services, energy management and telecommunications.