Hundreds of Thousands of Ohioans Lose Power

Hundreds of thousands of AEP Ohio customers were without electricity this week as heat indices in excess of 100 degrees triggered heavy demand on a storm-damaged electric grid. At one point on June 14, more than 350,000 Ohioans were without electricity, according to this map. Central Ohio was heavily impacted as AEP Ohio implemented rare “intentional load shedding.”

OMA President Ryan Augsburger told media outlets that while manufacturers understand storm damage is a legitimate cause of service interruptions, “manufacturing customers of AEP Ohio have been paying significantly higher electricity charges for transmission investments, distribution investments, and ‘smart grid’ features that were intended to improve grid resiliency and avoid intentional load shedding.”

Augsburger added: “When a manufacturer is down, they bare additional lost production expense and may incur ruined product expense. Manufacturers expect a full and publicly transparent review of the grid failures this week by the grid operator, PJM Interconnection, as well as the state regulator (PUCO).”

If your manufacturing facility experienced power outages, email Ryan Schuessler of OMA energy partner GoSustainable Energy to document your experience for the OMA. 6/14/2022