COLUMBUS, Ohio, Aug. 2, 1999 -- American Electric Power’s (NYSE:AEP) 3 million customers used record amounts of electricity Friday as they tried to keep cool during extreme temperatures soaring well into the 90s. A new all-time peak was set in AEP’s seven-state service territory when customers used 19,928,000 kilowatts of electric energy during the hour ending 5 p.m. EDT. The previous peak of 19,818,000 kilowatts was reached a week earlier at the hour ending 5 p.m. EDT on July 22. Legal and regulatory rules require AEP to keep demand records on an operating company basis, and three subsidiaries recorded all-time peaks Friday as well. Customers in the Indiana Michigan Power region used a record 4,126,000 kilowatts of electricity during the hour ending 6 p.m. EDT, topping the previous all-time peak of 4,060,000 kilowatts reached on July 22. Columbus Southern Power customers established an all-time peak of 3,804,000 kilowatts during the hour ending 4 p.m. EDT. The previous peak was 3,733,000 kilowatts set July 6, 1999. Kentucky Power set a summer peak of 1,215,000 kilowatts during the hour ending 4 p.m. EDT, eclipsing the old summer peak of 1,213,000 set Aug. 25, 1998. Kentucky’s all-time peak remains 1,432,000 kilowatts, set Jan. 5, 1999. “Although temperatures soared well above normal, we were able to provide our customers with a continuous source of reliable electricity,” said Michael Heyeck, director - transmission operations. “If the heat wave returns, we are confident we will have the energy to serve customers.” AEP, a global energy company, is one of the United States' largest investor-owned utilities, providing energy to 3 million customers in Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia. AEP has holdings in the United States, the United Kingdom, China and Australia. Wholly owned subsidiaries provide power engineering, energy consulting and energy management services around the world. The company is based in Columbus, Ohio. On Dec. 22, 1997, AEP announced a definitive merger agreement for a tax-free, stock-for-stock transaction with Central and South West Corp., a public utility holding company based in Dallas.