FirstEnergy Receives Industry Award for March 2023 Outage Restoration Efforts

AKRON, Ohio, June 20, 2023 /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 more than 569,000 customers in portions of its Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia service areas following severe weather that produced heavy rainfall and high winds. This is the 18^th consecutive year FirstEnergy has been recognized by EEI for its storm response efforts.

On March 25, the company's Ohio Edison, Illuminating Company, West Penn Power, Met-Ed, Penelec, Potomac Edison and Mon Power subsidiaries bore the brunt of a windstorm, with gusts recording as high as 100 miles per hour in some areas. This was particularly devastating because the ground was already saturated from several days of rain in the region leading up to the windstorm. The combined elements caused significant damage to the electric system, largely due to the hundreds of downed trees and limb damage. VIEW: Storm damage, restoration efforts from March 2023 windstorm

Following the company's Emergency Response Plan, hundreds of FirstEnergy line workers, forestry crews, contractors and support personnel safely and collectively worked more than 230,000 man-hours, replacing 809 poles, 489 transformers and about 72 miles of wire.

"I am proud to accept this award on behalf of the dedicated FirstEnergy employees and others who worked safely around the clock to get the lights back on for our customers," said Ed Shuttleworth, acting vice president of FirstEnergy's utility operations. "For days, long-lasting high winds continued to cause challenges as crews navigated impassable roads and other hazardous conditions to be there for our customers when they needed them most."

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 2023.

"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 the March 2023 windstorm," said EEI President and CEO Tom Kuhn. "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 January of 2023 for summer storm restoration efforts that took place in June of 2022.

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 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 approximately 24,000 miles of transmission lines that connect the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic regions. Follow FirstEnergy on Twitter @FirstEnergyCorp or online at www.firstenergycorp.com. 

SOURCE FirstEnergy Corp.