Long Beach, CA (June 15) – Environmental sustainability and excellence in nuclear power operations, respectively, are hallmarks of a pair of electric utilities named as winners of the electric utility industry’s highest honor. American Electric Power Company, Inc. (AEP) and Tokyo Electric Power Company, Inc. (TEP) are this year’s recipients of The Edison Award.

The Edison Award is given annually by the Edison Electric Institute (EEI) to the U.S. shareholder-owned company and international member company making the most outstanding contributions to the advancement of the industry. The winners were announced at EEI’s 67th Annual Convention and Expo ‘99 in Long Beach, California. This is the 40th year for the Edison Award.

“These companies are blazing a trail for the rest of us through the constancy of their leadership,” said Thomas R. Kuhn, President of Edison Electric Institute. “American Electric Power and Tokyo Electric Power Companies exemplify what the philosopher Aristotle meant when he once said, “We are what we repeatedly do.” “Excellence,” Aristotle said,” is not an act but a habit.”

“These companies,” Kuhn said, “make a habit of excellence.”

American Electric Power (AEP) Company, Inc., Columbus, Ohio is being honored for its aggressive work to develop sustainable, environmentally responsible operations for coal-burning power companies that meld bottom line results with environmental stewardship. Among its numerous achievements in the past year, AEP undertook major coal mine reclamation projects and gained certification of generation and transmission sites as wildlife habitat in three states, including a 30 thousand-acre site in Ohio. AEP also invested in vast reforestation efforts to offset greenhouse gases; invested in cutting-edge NOx emissions technology; launched the Datapult technology portfolio of energy efficiency services for electricity, gas and water; and worked with federal and state entities to install solar energy systems in Ohio schools.

Tokyo Electric Power Company, Inc. (TEPCO), Tokyo, Japan was honored for winning certification from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission for its design for an Advanced Boiling Water Reactor, the first advanced reactor design certified by the NRC, and for completing construction of its K-6 and K-7 ABWR plants, which have achieved marked improvements in safety, refueling efficiency, and minimized radioactive waste production. TEPCO, which operates 17 nuclear generating units, worked for nearly two decades to gather worldwide expertise for the development and demonstration of ABWR technology. It brought together diverse engineering companies and invested some 25 billion yen in ABWR R&D. TEPCO´s ABWR design includes technical innovations which have helped TEPCO reduce the size of buildings required in plant construction, with a shorter routing of piping, cable and ducts. TEPCO sees its vision of the advancement of nuclear power technology as a way to ensure energy supplies and mitigate harmful atmospheric emissions. TEPCO’s leadership has led to proven ABWR design that enhances safety, reliability, radiation control, waste reduction, operation, maintenance, and economy.

The winners are chosen by a review committee of national trade journal editors. Nominees were reviewed by a panel of judges consisting of current and past EEI chairmen and academicians.
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EEI is the association of shareholder-owned electric companies and international affiliates whose domestic members produce and distribute more than three-quarters of the nation’s electricity.