FORT WAYNE, Ind. – Indiana Michigan Power (I&M) will trim trees around transmission power lines in parts of Northern Indiana using a helicopter saw beginning Wednesday, Sept. 30, and continuing through the month of October.

Trimming will take place, weather permitting, from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. weekdays and Saturdays near transmission power lines in the counties of Allen, DeKalb, Noble, Kosciusko, Elkhart, Whitley, Huntington, Grant, Wabash and Wells counties.  

The work is routine maintenance to remove overhanging branches that can interfere with service reliability and are potential safety hazards. I&M has contracted with Aerial Solutions Inc. to perform the work using a helicopter-based tree-trimming saw. The tree-trimming tool is suspended beneath a helicopter by a vertical boom that has multiple motor power saw blades attached. The helicopter will fly at tree-top heights while working. The aerial trimming is faster and more easily reaches areas away from roadways than traditional tree-trimming crews using ground equipment.

The helicopter is white with blue and yellow trim with the tail number N53846.

I&M is committed to balancing the importance of trees with the equally important need to deliver electricity safely and reliably. Customers with questions should contact I&M at 800-311-4634. 

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Indiana Michigan Power (I&M) is headquartered in Fort Wayne, and its approximately 2,100 employees serve more than 599,000 customers. More than two-thirds of its energy delivered in 2019 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 and approximately 15 MW of large-scale solar generation in both states. The company’s generation portfolio also includes 2,620 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 more than 17,000 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 32,000 megawatts of diverse generating capacity, including 4,300 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 and east Texas). AEP also owns AEP Energy, AEP Energy Partners, AEP OnSite Partners and AEP Renewables, which provide innovative competitive energy solutions nationwide.