COLUMBUS, Ohio, July 26, 2000 – The Board of Directors of American Electric Power Company (NYSE: AEP) today declared a regular quarterly cash dividend of 60 cents a share on the company’s common stock.

The dividend is payable Sept. 8, 2000, to shareholders of record as of Aug. 10, 2000, and is the company’s 361st consecutive quarterly common stock cash dividend. AEP has paid a cash dividend on its common stock every quarter since July 1910.

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.