FORT WAYNE, Dec. 16, 2021 – Indiana Michigan Power is conducting aerial inspections of high-voltage transmission lines using helicopters to inspect for damage caused by last week’s storms.
The flights, which began earlier this week and are expected to resume Friday, involve inspecting transmission lines across much of I&M’s service territory: Northeast Indiana, including Fort Wayne; North Central Indiana, including South Bend and Elkhart; East Central Indiana, including Muncie and Marion; and Southwest Michigan, including Benton Harbor and Saint Joseph.
The inspections began on Wednesday in the Muncie/East Central Indiana area. Inspections are likely to be suspended Thursday due to weather but continue on Friday in the northern Indiana and southwest Michigan areas through the weekend.
Flights are scheduled to occur from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Weather delays could alter flight schedules. The helicopter is a green Bell Jet Ranger with tail number N-206BE.
The inspections give I&M the opportunity to search for possible damage to equipment and threats of damage posed by damaged or fallen trees to its utility lines and equipment resulting from the recent wind storm.
Customers with questions or concerns about aerial inspections should contact I&M at 800-311-4634.
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ABOUT INDIANA MICHIGAN POWER: Indiana Michigan Power (I&M) is headquartered in Fort Wayne, and its approximately 2,100 employees serve more than 600,000 customers. More than 85% of its energy delivered in 2020 was emission-free. I&M has at its availability various sources of generation including 2,278 MW of nuclear generation in Michigan, 450 MW of purchased wind generation from Indiana, more than 22 MW of hydro generation in both states, nearly 35 MW of large-scale solar generation in both states, and 2,620 MW of coal-fueled generation in Indiana.
ABOUT AMERICAN ELECTRIC POWER: 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 approximately 16,800 employees operate and maintain the nation’s largest electricity transmission system and more than 223,000 miles of distribution lines to efficiently deliver safe, reliable power to nearly 5.5 million regulated customers in 11 states. AEP also is one of the nation’s largest electricity producers with approximately 30,000 megawatts of diverse generating capacity, including more than 5,500 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, east Texas and the Texas Panhandle). AEP also owns AEP Energy, AEP Energy Partners, AEP OnSite Partners, and AEP Renewables, which provide innovative competitive energy solutions nationwide. For more information, visit aep.com.
MEDIA CONTACT: MEDIA CONTACT:
Tracy Warner Schnee Doyle
Communications Manager Communications Consultant Sr
260-479-9484 574-218-5987
tkwarner@aep.com smgarrett@aep.com