The Public Utilities Commission of Ohio(PUCO) has issued a report regarding electric power outages that occurred across Ohio in June 2022 as a result of severe weather.

“Electricity is an essential service that Ohioans rely on every day, and outages can be dangerous and cause frustration for consumers,” stated PUCO Chair Jenifer French. “The PUCO’s report highlights the events leading to last summer’s outages, and will assist utilities, regulators and stakeholders to craft solutions to reduce disruptions of essential utility service in the future.

The PUCO’s report examined AEP Ohio’s performance compared to its planned emergency procedures and vegetation management programs. The report directs the utility to revise its vegetation management programs around high voltage transmission lines and recommends it makes improvements to its emergency communications procedures.

The PUCO is responsible for overseeing Ohio’s electric distribution utilities. Regulations require utilities to have emergency response, maintenance, and vegetation management plans in place.