FirstEnergy Profile

www.firstenergycorp.com   Territory: 36,100 square miles in Ohio, New Jersey and Pennsylvania Headquarters:  Akron, OH President, CEO:  Anthony J. Alexander Employees:  11,987 Ownership: Publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange (FE) 2008 Operating Revenues: $13.6 billion   Customers 4.5 million electricity   Assets 14,200 MW regulated generation   Read more Cleveland Plain Dealer FirstEnergy consumer deal paves way for power auctions   Cleveland Plain Dealer FirstEnergy Corp. says it may mix wood chips with coal to reduce emissions   Metering.com Electric Power Research Institute selects JCP&L for smart grid demonstration

First Energy Corporation, based in Akron, Ohio, is the fifth largest investor-owned electric system in the U.S. It controls seven electric companies that provide electricity for 4.5 million customers in a 36,100-mile area that incorporates parts of Ohio, Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

 Its subsidiaries and affiliates provide electricity generation, transmission and distribution in addition to energy management and other energy services. Total system capacity is 14,200 megawatts from 18 power plants, slightly more than half from coal and 28% from nuclear plants.

FirstEnergy is holding its own in a terrible economy– a trend analysts expect will continue. The utility received clearance to expand into Illinois from its Ohio-Pennsylvania-New Jersey base. However, the company has a somewhat checkered past that calls internal controls into question. The massive 2003 power meltdown that left millions in the dark in the U.S. and Canada was blamed on poorly trained operators and computer problems at FirstEnergy in Ohio. In January 2006 FirstEnergy agreed to pay $28 million to resolve allegations that employees misled federal regulators about a nuclear plant’s safety.

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Smart Grid

FirstEnergy subsidiary Jersey Central Power and Light will invest $98 million in infrastructure and energy efficiency projects that will include, among others, the installation of automated breakers and demand response programs.

Ohio subsidiaries, in response to an Ohio Public Utility Commission request, in July 2008 filed an electric security plan that called for an AMI pilot program to support deployment of technologies that allow for time-of-day pricing and other demand-response and energy-efficiency programs and a commitment to undertake a comprehensive study of the energy delivery system, including Smart Grid technologies and other enhancements.

In October 2008 the Pennsylvania Legislature passed a bill requiring utilities to provide for the installation of smart meter technology within 15 years.

Renewables

FirstEnergy reports that 76 percent of the electricity it generated in 2008 came from low- or non-emitting sources. And 40 percent of the output – from nuclear, wind and hydro sources – was carbon-free.  It is also adding new contracts for wind energy. The utility recently entered into long-term agreements to purchase 62.5 MW of wind energy generated in western Pennsylvania and 99 MW of wind power from a facility in central Illinois. With 376 MW of wind generation under contract, it’s one of the largest providers of wind energy in the region. In 2006, FirstEnergy signed a 23-year agreement to purchase 80 MW of wind power from Allegheny Ridge Wind Farm.

For vendors only …

FirstEnergy managed its resources well in the years preceding the current economic downturn, and there's no reason to think that won't continue as the recession lingers. This is a solid company that is poised for expansion and growth. Once it gets its core infrastructure in place, communications will be a strong focus.