On Sept. 4, 1882, the Pearl Street Generating Station became the first power plant to operate in the United States. Built in Manhattan by Thomas Edison’s Edison Illuminating Company, the plant served a small number of customers of New York City.
Before the turn of the century, the plant was retired after a damaging fire and advancements that made other plants more efficient. But its success paved the way for the thousands of facilities powering our country today, including AEP plants.
On Sept. 6, AEP celebrates Power Plant Employee Appreciation Day to recognize employees who support generating electricity.
“I want to thank each of AEP's power plant employees who work tirelessly day in and day out to power our communities. I worked at a coal-fired power plant early in my career, so I know just how hard you work and appreciate the value you bring to our company,” said Bill Fehrman, president and CEO. “You provide an essential service to our customers, making sure they have safe, reliable and affordable power.”
In West Virginia, Appalachian Power celebrated Dick Miller, a 50-year veteran of the John E. Amos Power Plant. Miller has been with the Amos Plant since the beginning of his career, March 6, 1974. He started out working with coal, then moved to the railroad and then onto the river as a barge handler. In 1978, Miller started his path to becoming a plant operator.
Miller said the best part of his job is teaching newer employees how they can make a living by operating the E-crane.
“It can be an intimidating piece of machinery. So, showing them what they’re capable of is something that I’ll carry with me forever,” said Miller. “The fact that I can impact their lives and make a difference in that way means a lot.”
By celebrating power plant employees like Miller, we recognize the hard work they do to power communities.
Tim Kerns, senior vice president, Fossil Generating Assets, started his AEP career at the now-retired Philip Sporn plant in 1989. Kerns fully understands and appreciates the critical work happening across AEP territory.
“I’ve been with AEP for more than 35 years and spent my entire career either in or close to these plants,” said Kerns. “The work can be challenging, but it’s so important and rewarding, and the service we provide is invaluable to our customers.”
AEP’s mix of coal, gas, hydro, nuclear and renewables supports the needs of our communities. Employees from Engineering Services, Regional Services Organizations, Shop and Field Services, the Generation Transformation Office, Technical Skills, Environmental Services, Project Solutions, Commercial Operations and the Supply Chain Procurement and Field Ops organizations provide support for the operation of these facilities.
Plant employees make the 24-hour, 7-day-a-week plant operations that power our communities possible. These unsung heroes often sacrifice holidays and weekends and miss family gatherings so the rest of us can enjoy the power that is so critical to our everyday lives.
“Christmas morning, we’re out here. New Year’s Eve, employees are out here,” said Andy Brannan, plant manager, Welsh. “They’re always keeping the plant running.”
“We’re always making sure that we are providing safe, reliable, cost-effective, and environmentally responsible power to our customers,” said Ricky Weber, plant manager, Flint Creek/Mattison.
As customer power demands increase, our plants will become more critical than ever. The work to serve a new business and power economic growth is made possible by plants at AEP and peer utilities across the country.
“The work never stops at our plants, and we’re always going to be here to support our communities and AEP,” said Kerns. “I want to thank those who are in our plants every day for their service and continued commitment to working safely.”