FirstEnergy Names Charles E. Jones Senior Vice President and President, FirstEnergy Utilities

AKRON, Ohio, Feb. 3 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- FirstEnergy Corp. (NYSE: FE) today announced that Charles E. Jones, senior vice president, Energy Delivery and Customer Service, has been named senior vice president and president, FirstEnergy Utilities, effective April 1, 2010.  Jones succeeds Richard R. Grigg, who has elected to retire on March 31, 2010, after nearly 40 years in the electric and gas industry.  

"Chuck has been instrumental in helping our utility companies enhance their operations and the service they provide to customers," said Anthony J. Alexander, president and chief executive officer of FirstEnergy.  "I am confident he will continue to build upon this success as president of FirstEnergy Utilities."

Jones will have responsibility for energy delivery, customer service, compliance with Federal Energy Regulatory Commission transmission requirements, and energy efficiency activities, while leading FirstEnergy's seven regulated electric utility operating companies in Ohio, Pennsylvania and New Jersey.  The utilities comprise the nation's fifth largest investor-owned electric system, based on 4.5 million customers served.

"Dick has been a tremendous asset to our management team, and a strong leader of our utilities business," said Alexander.  "Under his guidance, our utilities have achieved outstanding results, including annual reliability improvements during each year of his leadership."

Jones joined the company as a substation engineer in 1978.  He held a variety of positions in the Akron, Marion and Elyria areas, and in 1995 was named president of Ohio Edison's Penn Power subsidiary.  He returned to Akron in 1996 as division manager.  Jones was named president of FirstEnergy's Northern Region in 1997, vice president of Regional Operations in 2001, and senior vice president of Energy Delivery and Customer Service in 2003, and President, FirstEnergy Solutions Corp. in 2007.  He was appointed to his current position in February 2009.

Jones received a bachelor of science degree in electrical engineering from The University of Akron.  He also attended the United States Naval Academy for two years and was a member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers.  Jones serves on the boards of the Ohio Chamber of Commerce, Cascade Locks Park Association, Team NEO, and the Executive Committee of the Greater Akron Chamber of Commerce.  He also served on the boards of the National Coal Council, Greater Cleveland Growth Association, Cuyahoga County chapter of the American Red Cross, United Way Services, Youth Opportunities Unlimited and Cleveland Initiative for Education, City of Akron's Workforce Policy, Cleveland Tomorrow Deputy Board, and the Great Lakes Innovation and Development Enterprise.

Grigg was named executive vice president and president of FirstEnergy Utilities in 2008.  Before joining the company as executive vice president and chief operating officer in August 2004, Grigg had a distinguished, 34-year career at Wisconsin Energy Corporation (WEC), retiring as president and chief executive officer of WE Generation.  

Grigg earned a bachelor of science and a master's degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Wisconsin.  He joined Wisconsin Electric Power in 1970, and served in a variety of management positions before being promoted to vice president of System Operations for Wisconsin Electric Power Company (WEPCO) in 1990; vice president of Customer Operations in 1992; and group executive vice president of Customer Operations, Customer Services and Sales and Marketing in 1994.  He became president and chief operating officer of WEPCO in 1995, and also served as chief nuclear officer from 1996 to 1998.  He became senior vice president of WEC in 2000 and executive vice president in 2003.  He was elected to WEPCO's Board of Directors in 1994 and to WEC's Board in 1995.

Grigg was president and is on the Board of the Association of Edison Illuminating Companies.  He is a member of the boards of the Electric Power Research Institute and the Ohio Valley Electric Corporation.  A registered professional engineer in Ohio and Wisconsin, Grigg is also a member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers.

FirstEnergy is a diversified energy company headquartered in Akron, Ohio.  Its subsidiaries and affiliates are involved in the generation, transmission and distribution of electricity, as well as energy management and other energy-related services.  Its seven electric utility operating companies comprise the nation's fifth largest investor-owned electric system, based on 4.5 million customers served, within a 36,100-square-mile area of Ohio, Pennsylvania and New Jersey; and its generation subsidiaries control more than 14,000 megawatts of capacity.

Forward-Looking Statements: This news release includes forward-looking statements based on information currently available to management. Such statements are subject to certain risks and uncertainties. These statements include declarations regarding management's intents, beliefs and current expectations. These statements typically contain, but are not limited to, the terms "anticipate," "potential," "expect," "believe," "estimate" and similar words. Forward-looking statements involve estimates, assumptions, known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Actual results may differ materially due to the speed and nature of increased competition in the electric utility industry and legislative and regulatory changes affecting how generation rates will be determined following the expiration of existing rate plans in Pennsylvania, the impact of the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio's regulatory process on the Ohio Companies associated with the distribution rate case, business and regulatory impacts from ATSI's realignment into PJM, economic or weather conditions affecting future sales and margins, changes in markets for energy services, changing energy and commodity market prices and availability, replacement power costs being higher than anticipated or inadequately hedged, the continued ability of FirstEnergy's regulated utilities to collect transition and other charges or to recover increased transmission costs, operating and maintenance costs being higher than anticipated, other legislative and regulatory changes, revised environmental requirements, including possible greenhouse gas emission regulations, the potential impacts of the U.S. Court of Appeals' July 11, 2008 decision requiring revisions to the Clean Air Interstate Rules and the scope of any laws, rules or regulations that may ultimately take their place, the uncertainty of the timing and amounts of the capital expenditures needed to, among other things, implement the Air Quality Compliance Plan (including that such amounts could be higher than anticipated or that certain generating units may need to be shut down) or levels of emission reductions related to the Consent Decree resolving the New Source Review litigation or other similar potential regulatory initiatives or actions, adverse regulatory or legal decisions and outcomes (including, but not limited to, the revocation of necessary licenses or operating permits and oversight) by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Metropolitan Edison Company's and Pennsylvania Electric Company's transmission service charge filings with the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission, the continuing availability of generating units and their ability to operate at or near full capacity, the ability to comply with applicable state and federal reliability standards, the ability to accomplish or realize anticipated benefits from strategic goals (including employee workforce initiatives), the ability to improve electric commodity margins and to experience growth in the distribution business, the changing market conditions that could affect the value of assets held in FirstEnergy's nuclear decommissioning trusts, pension trusts and other trust funds, and cause it to make additional contributions sooner, or in an amount that is larger than currently anticipated, the ability to access the public securities and other capital and credit markets in accordance with FirstEnergy's financing plan and the cost of such capital, changes in general economic conditions affecting the company, the state of the capital and credit markets affecting the company, interest rates and any actions taken by credit rating agencies that could negatively affect FirstEnergy's access to financing or its costs or increase its requirements to post additional collateral to support outstanding commodity positions, letters of credit and other financial guarantees, the continuing decline of the national and regional economy and its impact on the company's major industrial and commercial customers, issues concerning the soundness of financial institutions and counterparties with which FirstEnergy does business, and the risks and other factors discussed from time to time in its Securities and Exchange Commission filings, and other similar factors.  The foregoing review of factors should not be construed as exhaustive.  New factors emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for management to predict all such factors, nor assess the impact of any such factor on FirstEnergy's business or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statements. FirstEnergy expressly disclaims any current intention to update any forward-looking statements contained herein as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.

SOURCE FirstEnergy Corp.