FirstEnergy Receives Industry Award for Winter Storm Outage Restoration Efforts

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FirstEnergy Corp. (NYSE: FE) has been honored with the Emergency Recovery Award from the Edison Electric Institute (EEI) for its exemplary power restoration efforts following Winter Storms Finn and Gerri in January 2024. The storms caused significant damage across Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Maryland, and New Jersey, affecting hundreds of thousands of customers.

FirstEnergy’s extensive response involved thousands of workers and contractors, who collectively put in over 422,000 man-hours to replace 927 poles, 625 transformers, and about 72 miles of wire. By January 11, the company had restored power to 97% of the 373,000 customers impacted by Winter Storm Finn, with subsequent efforts addressing the 192,000 outages caused by Winter Storm Gerri.

This award marks the 19th consecutive year FirstEnergy has been recognized by EEI for exceptional storm response. The award was presented during EEI’s 2024 summer Board of Directors and CEO meeting.

Positive

• FirstEnergy restored power to 97% of 373,000 customers affected by Winter Storm Finn within two days.
• The company replaced 927 poles, 625 transformers, and about 72 miles of wire during the recovery efforts.
• FirstEnergy has been recognized for storm response efforts by EEI for 19 consecutive years.

Negative

• Winter Storms Finn and Gerri caused widespread damage, affecting hundreds of thousands of customers and requiring extensive repair efforts.

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 19^th 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. 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.

FAQ

What award did FirstEnergy receive for its storm response efforts?

FirstEnergy received the Emergency Recovery Award from the Edison Electric Institute (EEI) for its response to Winter Storms Finn and Gerri in January 2024.

How many customers were affected by Winter Storm Finn in FirstEnergy's service areas?

Winter Storm Finn affected 373,000 customers in FirstEnergy's service areas.

How quickly did FirstEnergy restore power after Winter Storm Finn?

FirstEnergy restored power to 97% of the affected 373,000 customers by January 11, 2024, two days after the storm.

What were the main impacts of Winter Storm Gerri on FirstEnergy's service areas?

Winter Storm Gerri caused severe winds, rain, and heavy snow, impacting 192,000 customers in FirstEnergy's service areas.

How many man-hours did FirstEnergy workers and contractors contribute during the storm recovery efforts?

FirstEnergy workers and contractors collectively worked over 422,000 man-hours during the recovery efforts.