AKRON,
Ohio, July 11, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- FirstEnergy
Corp. (NYSE: FE) received an Emergency Recovery Award from the
Edison Electric Institute (EEI) in recognition of its outstanding
response in restoring power to hundreds of thousands of customers
in portions of its Ohio,
Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Maryland and New
Jersey service areas following Winter Storms Finn and Gerri, which produced
high winds, rain, ice and snow in January
2024. This is the 19th consecutive year
FirstEnergy has been recognized by EEI for its storm response
efforts.
![On Jan. 9, several crews and personnel from FirstEnergy’s Illuminating Company, Ohio Edison, Penn Power, Penelec, West Penn Power, Met-Ed, Mon Power, Potomac Edison and JCP&L service areas bore the brunt of Winter Storm Finn, which brought strong winds, heavy rain, ice and snow. On Jan. 9, several crews and personnel from FirstEnergy’s Illuminating Company, Ohio Edison, Penn Power, Penelec, West Penn Power, Met-Ed, Mon Power, Potomac Edison and JCP&L service areas bore the brunt of Winter Storm Finn, which brought strong winds, heavy rain, ice and snow.](https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2459499/MP_011024_West_Virginia.jpg)
On Jan. 9, several crews and
personnel from FirstEnergy's Illuminating Company, Ohio
Edison, Penn Power, Penelec, West
Penn Power, Met-Ed, Mon Power, Potomac Edison and JCP&L service
areas bore the brunt of Winter Storm
Finn, which brought strong winds, heavy rain, ice and snow.
The tree- and flood-related damage was widespread, consisting of
hundreds of broken poles and crossarms, downed power lines, and
fallen trees and debris blocking road access.
By Jan. 11, FirstEnergy had
restored power to 97% of the 373,000 customers who had lost power
due to Winter Storm Finn. That
restoration effort was quickly followed by response to Winter Storm Gerri, which began impacting
FirstEnergy's service territory on Jan.
12 with severe winds, rain and heavy, wet snow, impacting
192,000 customers.
Following the company's Emergency Response Plan, thousands of
FirstEnergy line workers, hazard responders, forestry crews,
contractors and safety and support personnel collectively worked
more than 422,000 man-hours during the two storms, replacing 927
poles, 625 transformers and about 72 miles of wire.
Wade Smith, President,
FirstEnergy Utilities: "I am proud to accept this award on
behalf of the dedicated FirstEnergy employees and others who worked
safely and tirelessly around the clock during two consecutive
severe winter weather events. The high winds and heavy
precipitation created immense challenges for our crews as they
navigated dangerous conditions to restore service to our customers
in the wake of these storms."
EEI presents awards twice annually to member companies for
extraordinary power restoration efforts or assistance to other
electric companies after service disruptions caused by weather
conditions and other natural events. The winners were chosen by a
panel of judges following an international nomination process, and
the awards were presented during EEI's summer Board of Directors
and CEO meeting held in conjunction with EEI 2024.
EEI President and CEO Dan
Brouillette: "Ensuring the safety of our customers,
communities and crews is our industry's top priority, and I commend
FirstEnergy's commitment to restoring service for its customers
safely and efficiently under challenging conditions following
Winter Storms Finn and Gerri.
FirstEnergy and its storm response team are extremely deserving of
this national recognition, and I am honored to present them with
this well-earned recovery award."
FirstEnergy and its electric companies were also recognized in
June 2023 for storm restoration
efforts that took place in March
2023.
EEI is the association that represents all U.S. investor-owned
electric companies. 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 U.S. members, EEI has more than 65 international
electric companies, with operations in more than 90 countries, as
International Members, and hundreds of industry suppliers and
related organizations as Associate Members.
FirstEnergy is dedicated to integrity, safety, reliability and
operational excellence. Its 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 approximately 24,000 miles of
transmission lines that connect the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic
regions. Follow FirstEnergy on X, formerly known as Twitter,
@FirstEnergyCorp or online
at firstenergycorp.com.
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SOURCE FirstEnergy Corp.