AKRON, Ohio, June 12, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- FirstEnergy
Corp. (NYSE: FE) has earned the Emergency Response Award
from the Edison Electric Institute (EEI) for its efforts to restore
more than a million customers to service after a several-day wind
storm in late February. EEI is a leading electric industry
organization.
Winds that reached 70 miles per hour battered the company's
six-state service area, from Ohio
to New Jersey, and the entire
region experienced sustained 40 mile-per-hour winds for a 12 hour
period.
These gusts and sustained winds not only did significant damage
to the company's transmission and distribution systems, but also
delayed restoration efforts because workers were unable to safely
work to repair overhead lines until the wind speeds dropped.
In total, with assistance from thousands of outside workers from
18 states, the company replaced more than 127 miles of wire, more
than 1,100 poles and nearly 800 transformers, visiting more than
10,000 damaged locations to restore power to all affected
customers.
"FirstEnergy is deserving of this award for its efforts to
restore service quickly and safely in the Mid-Atlantic after the
wind storm," said EEI President Tom
Kuhn. "The dedication of FirstEnergy's crews reflect the
electric power industry's commitment to its customers, and I thank
them for their tireless work."
"This EEI award recognizes the outstanding efforts of our crews
and support personnel, who work around the clock in difficult
circumstances to restore power when severe weather impacts our
service area," said Sam Belcher,
senior vice president of FirstEnergy and president of FirstEnergy
Utilities. "I'm very proud of our crews, who teamed to complete
repairs safely and efficiently despite extra challenges created by
the sustained high winds that caused so much damage over a period
of days across our service area."
EEI presents awards twice annually to member companies to
recognize extraordinary efforts to restore power or for assisting
other electric companies after service disruptions caused by
weather conditions and other natural events. Winners are
chosen by a panel of judges following an international nomination
process. The awards were presented June 11, 2019, during the summer EEI Board of
Directors and CEO meeting.
EEI is the association that represents all U.S. investor-owned
electric companies. Our members provide electricity for 220 million
Americans, and operate in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. As a whole, the electric
power industry supports more than 7 million jobs in communities
across the United States. In
addition to our U.S. members, EEI has more than 65 international
electric companies as International Members, and hundreds of
industry suppliers and related organizations as Associate
Members.
FirstEnergy is 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. 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 FirstEnergy Senior Vice
President and President of FirstEnergy Utilities Sam Belcher accepting the emergency response
award from EEI is available for download on Flickr.
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SOURCE FirstEnergy Corp.