BRIDGMAN, Mich., Nov. 3, 2003 - American Electric Power (NYSE: AEP) applied to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) today to renew operating licenses of AEP’s Cook Nuclear Plant. The application, consisting of over 1,400 pages of documentation and associated technical analysis, supports that Cook Unit 1 and Unit 2 can be safely operated until 2034 and 2037 respectively.

“This is a major strategic milestone for AEP, Cook, and our local community,” said Mano K. Nazar, senior vice president and chief nuclear officer. “Relicensing provides us the flexibility of up to 20 years of additional operation for Cook and will maintain a diverse energy supply, provide environmental balance and keep a major source of jobs and tax revenue in the community. Over two years of extensive research and analysis went into development of the application. We now turn our attention to supporting the NRC’s careful review, extensive inspection process and public involvement opportunities.”

The Cook units are currently licensed by the NRC until 2014 and 2017.

The license renewal process requires both a technical review of equipment important to safety and an environmental review.

In the technical review, all safety-related systems, structures, components and programs were evaluated to provide reasonable assurance aging effects are properly managed. This will maintain adequate safety levels for up to an additional 20 years of operation.

The environmental review determines the impact of extended operation on water, land, air, wildlife, aquatic life, plants and threatened or endangered species near the plant, and along more than 200 miles of transmission lines.

Typical NRC review of a nuclear plant license renewal application takes 22 to 30 months. The NRC will hold public meetings on the license renewal process and Cook’s Environmental Impact Statement.

A copy of the Cook license renewal application will be available in the Bridgman and
St. Joseph, Mich., public libraries and on the NRC web page.

Cook is a dual-unit nuclear site with a total generating capacity of 2,150 megawatts.

American Electric Power owns and operates more than 42,000 megawatts of generating capacity in the United States and select international markets and is the largest electricity generator in the U.S. AEP is also one of the largest electric utilities in the United States, with almost 5 million customers linked to AEP’s 11-state electricity transmission and distribution grid. The company is based in Columbus, Ohio.