COLUMBUS, Ohio, May 3, 2010 – Lawrence J. (Larry) Weber has been named senior vice president and chief nuclear officer of American Electric Power’s (NYSE: AEP) Cook Nuclear Plant in Bridgman, Mich., effective May 8. Weber is currently site vice president at Cook, a dual-unit nuclear site with a total generating capacity of 2,150 megawatts.

Weber is replacing Joe Jensen, who is leaving AEP to become chief nuclear officer for the United Arab Emirates, Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation in Abu Dhabi.

“Larry has been a key contributor at Cook for more than a decade and also has the necessary industry experience to successfully lead the Cook team,” said Nick Akins, AEP executive vice president - generation. “Our succession planning and deep depth of talent at Cook will support a seamless transition for Larry and his organization. Larry shares AEP’s commitment to safety, plant reliability and maintaining strong regulatory and industry relationships.

“Joe provided outstanding leadership during the significant challenge of the Unit 1 turbine restoration and has maintained Cook’s position as one of the nation’s leading nuclear plants. We wish Joe the very best with his new opportunity.” Akins said.

Weber will report to Akins. His replacement as site vice president will be current Cook plant manager Joel P. Gebbie. Cook project director Quinton (Shane) Lies will replace Gebbie as plant manager.


Weber, 59, joined AEP in 1998. He has held leadership positions in Performance Assurance, Operations and as plant manager. Prior to joining AEP, Weber was the site senior license holder and shift manager at Exelon’s Braidwood Station. He worked in operations at both Marble Hill Nuclear Station and Washington Public Power System. At Florida Power and Light’s Point Beach Plant, he held the position of reactor operator and worked in health physics. He is a member of the Professional Reactor Operator Society and has a Bachelor of Science in organizational management from the University of St. Francis.

Gebbie, 46, joined AEP in 1986 as a design engineer in Columbus and transferred to Cook in 1996 as a system engineer. He has a Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering and Master of Business Administration from The Ohio State University. He is a licensed professional engineer in the state of Ohio and completed Cook’s Management Certification Program.

Lies, 39, joined AEP in 1996 as a system engineer at Cook. He has a Bachelor of Science in nuclear engineering and a Master of Science in mechanical engineering from Kansas State University. Lies is a licensed engineer in the state of Michigan and obtained a senior reactor operator´s license at Cook.

American Electric Power is one of the largest electric utilities in the United States, delivering electricity to more than 5 million customers in 11 states. AEP ranks among the nation’s largest generators of electricity, owning nearly 38,000 megawatts of generating capacity in the U.S. AEP also owns the nation’s largest electricity transmission system, a nearly 39,000-mile network that includes more 765-kilovolt extra-high voltage transmission lines than all other U.S. transmission systems combined. AEP’s transmission system directly or indirectly serves about 10 percent of the electricity demand in the Eastern Interconnection, the interconnected transmission system that covers 38 eastern and central U.S. states and eastern Canada, and approximately 11 percent of the electricity demand in ERCOT, the transmission system that covers much of Texas. AEP’s utility units operate as 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 and east Texas). AEP’s headquarters are in Columbus, Ohio.