COLUMBUS, Ohio, Jan. 12, 2001 – AEP will lay off 225 employees at its Windsor Coal Co. underground mine in West Liberty, W.Va., and 145 employees at its Central Ohio Coal Co. surface mine in Cumberland, Ohio, on or about March 15. Reclamation efforts will occur after that date. Federal Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act, or WARN, notices about the layoffs were issued today.

Central Ohio Coal Co. announced its shutdown plans in October 1998. Windsor Coal Co. announced its shutdown plan in July 1999.

AEP announced last August it would seek to sell its mining companies in Ohio and West Virginia, which also includes Southern Ohio Coal Co.’s Meigs operations, to another party and retained the investment banking firm Rothschild Inc. to market the properties.

"Efforts to sell the mines will continue," said Charles A. Ebetino Jr., senior vice president coal mines. "And the sales process is progressing."

American Electric Power is a multinational energy company based in Columbus, Ohio. AEP owns and operates more than 38,000 megawatts of generating capacity, making it one of America’s largest generators of electricity. The company is also a leading wholesale energy marketer and trader, ranking second in the U.S. in electricity volume. AEP provides retail electricity to more than 9 million customers worldwide and has more than $35 billion in assets, primarily in the U.S. with holdings in select international markets. Wholly owned subsidiaries are involved in power engineering and construction services, energy management and telecommunications.