Year 2000 Arrives and Allegheny Power Reports Systems Operating Normally.

Business Editors

HAGERSTOWN, Md.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--January 1, 2000

Allegheny Power, the energy delivery subsidiary of Allegheny Energy, Inc. (NYSE: AYE), is pleased to announce that the Year 2000 (Y2K) has arrived and all of the Company's systems critical to supplying power to customers are operating normally.

While the Company reported routine, scattered service interruptions in parts of its five-state service territory, none of the outages were related to the so-called Y2K computer bug. Allegheny Power crews responded promptly and service was restored as quickly possible.

"We are extremely pleased that our efforts to make our mission-critical systems ready for Y2K have been successful," said Ken Jones, Vice President and Y2K Project Manager. "This has been the result of a company-wide project involving teams of hundreds of employees."

In preparation for Y2K, Allegheny Power devoted approximately 80,000 employee hours to the project and participated in two industry-wide Y2K drills. The Company's planning included significantly increased staffing on New Year's Eve, with approximately 1,200 employees working at power stations, substations, service centers, corporate centers, and other key locations.

The Company also worked with key suppliers and vendors to ensure they would continue to provide important supplies and services to Allegheny without interruption. Additionally, Allegheny Power coordinated its Y2K activities with state regulators, other utilities, industry trade associations, and industry reliability councils.

Allegheny Power, an Allegheny Energy company, delivers low-cost, reliable energy to about three million people in parts of Maryland, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia. Allegheny Energy, Inc. is a diversified energy company headquartered in Hagerstown, Md. In addition to Allegheny Power, the Allegheny Energy family includes Allegheny Energy Supply Company, LLC, which operates and markets competitive retail and wholesale electric generation and operates regulated electric generation for its affiliates; and Allegheny Ventures, which actively invests in and develops energy-related and telecommunications projects. For more information, check our web site at www.alleghenypower.com.

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THIS IS A YEAR 2000 READINESS DISCLOSURE IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE "YEAR 2000 INFORMATION AND READINESS DISCLOSURE ACT" ======================================================================