GAHANNA, Ohio, January 8, 2010 – AEP Ohio officials are concerned about recent increases in copper metal thefts from company facilities and strongly encourage customers and the public to report any suspicious activity to local law enforcement officials.

“We are seeing an increase in thefts of copper conductor from facilities across our Ohio service territory, but especially in the Columbus area,” says Ed Mowrer, AEP Ohio vice president distribution region operations. “This creates serious safety hazards and service reliability issues for us and our customers. We want to raise public awareness of the dangers and consequences of this activity and apprehend and prosecute these individuals.”

Theft of copper wiring often results in power outages for customers, exposes employees to more electrical hazards when grounding lines are stolen and can, and does, kill or seriously injure the individuals involved. Often people are electrocuted while trying to steal copper wiring. Beyond safety issues, stealing electrical equipment does not make economic sense. Scrap copper now sells for less than $2 a pound. In many cases, thieves are risking their lives for very little. When caught they can be prosecuted for much more than the value of the wire, including such things as the cost of repairs and overtime for workers.

In the past, solid copper was the material of choice for electrical wiring and grounding options. In late 2008, AEP Ohio switched to installing copper-clad materials at its facilities.  Copper-clad products provide an equal functionality and look very much the same as solid copper wiring. Copper-clad wiring is strong, non-rusting conductor of electricity that is made up of a steel core and copper exterior.  This bi-metallic wiring has no scrap dollar value and is very difficult to cut. The company also is deploying new security technology around its facilities and substations.

 AEP Ohio offers a reward of up to $5000, to anyone with information resulting in the arrest and conviction of any person or persons stealing or vandalizing AEP Ohio equipment.
 
AEP Ohio has a toll-free, 24/7 number dedicated to security issues. The company encourages anyone who sees anyone tampering with electrical equipment to call 1-866-747-5845 or local law enforcement to report the incident. Additional information on copper theft can be found at aepohio.com.

AEP Ohio provides electricity to nearly 1.5 million customers of major AEP subsidiaries Columbus Southern Power Company and Ohio Power Company in Ohio, and Wheeling Power Company in the northern panhandle of West Virginia. AEP Ohio is based in Gahanna, Ohio. The company serves all or part of 61 counties in Ohio and two in West Virginia.