Allegheny Energy’s R. Paul Smith Power Station Honored for Operational Excellence

GREENSBURG, Pa.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Allegheny Energy, Inc. (NYSE: AYE) announced today that its R. Paul Smith Power Station was recognized for operational excellence by Navigant Consulting.

“In addition to cost management and availability, the facility recorded impressive safety and environmental performances during the same time period.”

The 116-megawatt facility in Williamsport, Md. received the 2010 runner-up award in the small coal plant category for demonstrated excellence in operation and maintenance spending and unit availability from 2005-2009.

“The award is a tribute to the dedicated work of our employees at R. Paul Smith. Their success is another great example of our high performance culture,” said Paul J. Evanson, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Allegheny Energy. “In addition to cost management and availability, the facility recorded impressive safety and environmental performances during the same time period.”

The R. Paul Smith plant is operated by Allegheny Energy Supply Company LLC, Allegheny’s merchant generation affiliate.

Allegheny Energy

Headquartered in Greensburg, Pa., Allegheny Energy is an investor-owned electric utility with total annual revenues of over $3 billion and more than 4,000 employees. The company owns and operates generating facilities and delivers low-cost, reliable electric service to 1.5 million customers in Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Maryland. For more information, visit our Web site at www.alleghenyenergy.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

In addition to historical information, this release may contain a number of "forward-looking statements" as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Words such as anticipate, expect, project, intend, plan, believe, and words and terms of similar substance used in connection with any discussion of future plans, actions, or events identify forward-looking statements. These include statements with respect to: rate regulation and the status of retail generation service supply competition in states served by Allegheny Energy’s distribution business, Allegheny Power; financing plans; demand for energy and the cost and availability of raw materials, including coal; provider-of-last-resort and power supply contracts; results of litigation; results of operations; internal controls and procedures; capital expenditures; status and condition of plants and equipment; capacity purchase commitments; and regulatory matters. Forward-looking statements involve estimates, expectations and projections and, as a result, are subject to risks and uncertainties. There can be no assurance that actual results will not materially differ from expectations. Actual results have varied materially and unpredictably from past expectations. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially include, among others, the following: plant performance and unplanned outages; changes in the price of power and fuel for electric generation; general economic and business conditions; changes in access to capital markets and actions of rating agencies; complications or other factors that render it difficult or impossible to obtain necessary lender consents or regulatory authorizations on a timely basis; environmental regulations; the results of regulatory proceedings, including proceedings related to rates; changes in industry capacity, development and other activities by Allegheny Energy’s competitors; changes in the weather and other natural phenomena; changes in customer switching behavior and their resulting effects on existing and future load requirements; changes in the underlying inputs and assumptions, including market conditions used to estimate the fair values of commodity contracts; changes in laws and regulations applicable to Allegheny Energy, its markets or its activities; the loss of any significant customers or suppliers; dependence on other electric transmission and gas transportation systems and their constraints or availability; inflationary and interest rate trends changes in market rules, including changes to PJM participant rules and tariffs; the likelihood and timing of the completion of the proposed merger with FirstEnergy, the terms and conditions of any required regulatory approvals of the proposed merger, the impact of the proposed merger on Allegheny’s employees and the potential diversion of management’s time and attention from ongoing business during this time period; general economic conditions; the effect of accounting pronouncements issued periodically by accounting standard-setting bodies and accounting issues facing our organization; and other risks, including the continuing effects of global instability, terrorism and war. Additional risks and uncertainties are identified and discussed in Allegheny Energy’s reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.