FORT WAYNE, Ind. – Indiana Michigan Power, an American Electric Power (NYSE: AEP) Company, supports the actions taken by Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb and Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer and their administrations to help slow the spread of COVID-19.
“Indiana Michigan Power strongly supports actions taken by Governor Holcomb and Governor Whitmer during these unprecedented times, and we are proud of the clear actions taken by the states we serve to help slow the spread of COVID-19 and maintain critical services for Hoosiers and Michiganders,” Toby Thomas, I&M President and COO said. “As your hometown energy provider we also have taken necessary steps to protect our employees and continue the reliable delivery of service for our customers.
“It is important to everyone at I&M that we do all that we can to keep the lights on 24/7 and we are doing so in a manner consistent with physical distancing standards by limiting our employees’ potential exposure, and we ask customers to keep physical distance for your safety and ours,” Thomas said. “The safety of everyone in the communities we serve every day is our utmost concern during this uncertain time.”
Actions I&M has taken in response to COVID-19 include:
- I&M line workers and other employees critical to maintaining service are working in smaller teams, adjusting work schedules, practicing physical distancing, monitoring themselves for any symptoms and taking other prevention measures recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). All I&M employees who can are working from home to help prevent the spread of the virus. All I&M facilities are closed to visitors and all non-essential travel has been curtailed.
- I&M is continuously educating employees about COVID-19 and collaborating with other companies in our industry, government experts and public health agencies. I&M is following recommendations from the CDC and continually reviewing our response and the guidance we are providing to our employees.
- To help address the financial hardships faced by many of our customers, I&M has temporarily suspended all service disconnections for non-payment. If a customer is having trouble paying their bill, Indiana customers can contact us at 800-311-4634; and Michigan customers should call 800-311-6424.Customers can follow us on Facebook (facebook.com/indianamichiganpower) and Twitter (@IN_MI_Power) and can speak directly with customer service specialists on those platforms as well.
- The American Electric Power Foundation is donating $1.5 million in emergency funds in the eleven states it serves customers, including $240,000 for disbursement in I&M’s service territory in Indiana and Michigan, to support basic human needs and help address the hardships faced by customers and communities.
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Indiana Michigan Power (I&M) is headquartered in Fort Wayne, and its 2,370 employees serve more than 597,000 customers. More than half of its generation is emission-free, including 2,278 MW of nuclear generation in Michigan, 450 MW of purchased wind generation from Indiana, 22 MW of hydro generation in both states and approximately 15 MW of large-scale solar generation in both states. The company’s generation portfolio also includes 2,600 MW of coal-fueled generation in Indiana.
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 18,000 employees operate and maintain the nation’s largest electricity transmission system and more than 219,000 miles of distribution lines to efficiently deliver safe, reliable power to nearly 5.4 million regulated customers in 11 states. AEP also is one of the nation’s largest electricity producers with approximately 31,000 megawatts of diverse generating capacity, including more than 5,200 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.