FirstEnergy Receives Industry Recognition for Providing Mutual Assistance Crews to Neighboring Utilities

Company Also Honored for Storm Restoration Efforts on Behalf of Own Customers

News provided by

Jan 06, 2016, 12:06 ET

AKRON, Ohio, Jan. 6, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- For the 10^th consecutive year, FirstEnergy Corp. (NYSE: FE) has earned recognition for its emergency response efforts from the Edison Electric Institute (EEI), a leading electric industry organization.

FirstEnergy was honored with the "Emergency Assistance Award" as a result of sending about 250 linemen and support personnel to assist Louisville Gas and Electric in Kentucky and AEP in Virginia following a storm last July that produced intense rain, hail, wind, and lightning and resulted in more than 200,000 customers losing power. In addition, in June of 2015, more than 220 FirstEnergy employees assisted in eastern Pennsylvania and New Jersey after severe weather caused more than 340,000 Exelon and Atlantic City Electric customers to lose power.

FirstEnergy also earned the "Emergency Recovery Award" for restoration efforts on behalf of its own customers following a winter storm that caused more than 108,000 Mon Power customers in West Virginia to lose power in early March of last year. Overall, a workforce of more than 2,000 people, including nearly 900 linemen, participated in the restoration effort, which was the first time in the history of FirstEnergy that personnel from all ten of its utilities came together at one impacted company to restore service to customers.

"The dedicated crews from FirstEnergy are truly deserving of this recognition for their tremendous efforts to restore service and lend assistance to neighboring utilities," said EEI President Tom Kuhn. "FirstEnergy's restoration efforts and its assistance in the face of dangerous conditions are truly representative of our industry's unwavering commitment to customer service and mutual assistance."

"Receiving this award is always an honor because it means in multiple emergency situations, our employees demonstrated the skill and determination to go above and beyond when customers needed us the most," said Steven Strah, senior vice president of FirstEnergy and president of FirstEnergy Utilities. "What is most impressive is that the repairs were made with no accidents or injuries, which is a testament to our employees' commitment to safety."

EEI presents these awards twice a year to member companies to recognize extraordinary efforts to restore power or for assisting another utility company after service disruptions caused by severe weather conditions and other natural events. Winners are chosen by an independent panel of electric industry experts following an international nomination process. The awards were presented January 5, 2016, during EEI's CEO and Board of Directors meeting in Arizona.

Edison Electric Institute (EEI) is the association that represents all U.S. investor-owned electric companies. Members provide electricity for 220 million Americans, operate in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, and directly employ more than 500,000 workers. EEI has 70 international electric companies as Affiliate Members, and 250 industry suppliers and related organizations as Associate Members.

FirstEnergy is a diversified energy company dedicated to safety, reliability and operational excellence. Its 10 electric distribution companies form one of the nation's largest investor-owned electric systems, serving customers in Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, West Virginia, Maryland and New York. The company's transmission subsidiaries operate more than 24,000 miles of transmission lines that connect the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic regions, while its generation subsidiaries control nearly 17,000 megawatts of capacity from a diversified mix of scrubbed coal, non-emitting nuclear, natural gas, hydro and other renewables. Follow FirstEnergy online at www.firstenergycorp.com. Follow FirstEnergy and its utilities on Twitter: @FirstEnergyCorp, @ToledoEdison, @IlluminatingCo, @OhioEdison, @MonPowerWV, @JCP_L, @Penn_Power, @Penelec, @Met_Ed, @PotomacEdison, @W_Penn_Power.

Editor's Note: A photo of Steven Strah, senior vice president of FirstEnergy and president of FirstEnergy Utilities, accepting the emergency response awards from EEI Executive Vice President Brian L. Wolff is available for download on Flickr.

SOURCE FirstEnergy Corp.