February 10, 2021 - Southwestern Electric Power Co. (SWEPCO), an American Electric Power (Nasdaq: AEP) company, was presented an Emergency Response Award by the Edison Electric Institute (EEI) for helping restore power following several large storms in 2020.
Emergency Response Awards recognize recovery and assistance efforts by EEI member companies following service disruptions caused by extreme weather or other natural events.
SWEPCO sent line and contract personnel to partnering electric utilities – including sister operating companies at AEP – following multiple hurricanes and another severe ice storm.
Over the course of these assignments in 2020, crews encountered all types of adverse weather, including flooding and high winds, extreme heat, varying terrains and dangerous wildlife. Not only were these conditions not ideal, crews also had to navigate the health and safety challenges posed by COVID-19 as the global pandemic continued.
“In the utility industry, providing mutual aid is not a matter of ‘if,’ but a matter of ‘when,’” said Malcolm Smoak, SWEPCO president and chief operating officer. “After Hurricane Laura, 3,500 workers from our sister operating companies and other utilities, representing 15 states and Canada, helped SWEPCO employees get the lights back on for our customers. In turn, we helped other utilities across multiple states. Our crews will work long hours in difficult conditions to get the power restored. When strong teams come together, it’s incredible what we can accomplish.”
About Southwestern Electric Power Co. (SWEPCO)
SWEPCO, an American Electric Power (Nasdaq: AEP) company, serves more than 543,000 customers in northwest and central Louisiana, northeast Texas and the Texas Panhandle, and western Arkansas. SWEPCO’s headquarters are in Shreveport, La. News releases and other information about SWEPCO can be found at SWEPCO.com. Connect with us at Facebook.com/SWEPCO, Twitter.com/SWEPCOnews, Instagram.com/swepco, Youtube.com/SWEPCOtv, LinkedIn.com/company/swepco and SWEPCOConnections.com.
About American Electric Power (AEP)
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 17,000 employees operate and maintain the nation’s largest electricity transmission system and more than 221,000 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 5,300 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, 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.
Staging Area New Orleans, LA
Hurricane Zeta
Hurricane Zeta
