CHARLESTON, W.Va., Feb. 6, 2026 – Appalachian Power Company (APCo) is actively responding to a mineral oil release resulting from an equipment failure at its Wyoming Station in the Clear Fork Area of Wyoming County. Mineral oil is commonly used to cool electrical transformers.
On the morning of Friday, Jan. 30, a transformer at the Wyoming Station failed, causing a mineral oil tank to rupture. While crews responded to address the transformer failure and associated oil leak, a portion of the oil did flow outside the substation. As soon as APCo identified the release outside the substation, it immediately called in both internal teams and external spill response contractors that specialize in oil clean up to (1) stop any more oil from leaving the substation site; (2) prevent the spill from spreading further off-site; and, (3) cleanup the oil that had left the substation site.
APCo and its spill response contractors will continue to aggressively address this spill until it is cleaned up. The spill has not reached any streams that serve as a drinking water source for any public water systems, and R.D. Bailey Lake has not been impacted. APCo is continuing to coordinate remediation activities with the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection (DEP).
Crews have installed a spare transformer to replace the failed unit, helping to ensure no interruption of electric service as a result of this event. In addition, controls have been installed in the substation to capture remaining oil and prevent any additional release. The failed transformer was installed in 2022.
REMEDIATION EFFORTS
Appalachian Power is coordinating closely with WV DEP, whose inspectors have been onsite since the spill was reported. In addition, in-stream activities are being coordinated through consultation with the US Fish and Wildlife Service to ensure protection of the endangered Guyandotte Crayfish. Currently, APCo environmental contractors are:
- Installing booms and other protective measures in Clear Fork and at key downstream locations to prevent oil from spreading further.
- Deploying vacuum trucks, oil skimmers and air boat crews to remove oil from the water.
- Assessing the station and remediating oil found onsite.
Appalachian Power will continue to provide updates on this incident at AppalachianPower.com/company/news/cleanup.