GAHANNA, Ohio, November 20, 2018 — AEP Ohio, an American Electric Power (NYSE: AEP) company, is taking to the sky as part of the company’s ongoing vegetation management program.
The work is part of routine maintenance to clear trees, limbs and brush that can interfere with service and are potential safety hazards. Tree trimming began in the Coolville area Monday, Nov. 19 and will continue for approximately three weeks, depending on weather conditions. Crews from Aerial Solutions Inc. are working daily from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Saturday, excluding the Thanksgiving holiday.
The tree-trimming aerial saw is suspended beneath a helicopter by a vertical boom that has multiple motor-powered saw blades attached. The helicopter flies at tree-top heights while working. This method provides easier access to branches and minimizes foot and vehicle traffic to private land and roads that may otherwise be damaged by heavy equipment.
AEP Ohio is committed to balancing the important impact trees have on the environment with the need to deliver safe, reliable service to customers. Interruptions to electric service are not expected. However, unexpected situations may require an outage to allow crews to do their work safely.
Customers with questions should contact the AEP Ohio Customer Solutions Center at 1-800-672-2231.
About AEP Ohio:
AEP Ohio delivers electricity to nearly 1.5 million customers of AEP’s subsidiary Ohio Power Co. in Ohio. AEP Ohio is based in Gahanna, Ohio, and is a unit of American Electric Power. News and information about AEP Ohio can be found at AEPOhio.com.
American Electric Power based in Columbus, Ohio, is focused on building a smarter energy infrastructure and delivering new technologies and custom energy solutions to our customers. AEP’s more than 17,000 employees operate and maintain the nation’s largest electricity transmission system and more than 219,000 miles of distribution lines to efficiently deliver safe, reliable power to nearly 5.4 million regulated customers in 11 states. AEP also is one of the nation’s largest electricity producers with approximately 32,000 megawatts of diverse generating capacity, including 4,300 megawatts of renewable energy. AEP’s family of companies includes utilities 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 also owns AEP Energy, AEP Energy Partners, AEP OnSite Partners and AEP Renewables, which provide innovative competitive energy solutions nationwide.