AKRON, Ohio, Jan. 10, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- For the
13th 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. The company earned the "Emergency Recovery
Award" for efforts to restore service to nearly 470,000 of its
Pennsylvania and New Jersey customers following severe
thunderstorms that impacted the region in May 2018.
The storms brought nearly 36 hours of sustained high winds with
gusts exceeding 60 mph to FirstEnergy's service territory along
with damaging tornadoes and 100 mph straight-line winds.
Nearly 6,000 lineworkers, hazard responders, damage assessors and
other support staff from FirstEnergy and assisting utilities worked
together to replace more than 400 utility poles, 300 transformers,
four transmission towers and approximately 23 miles of
wire.
"The dedication of FirstEnergy's crews to restoring service
throughout Pennsylvania and
New Jersey after a series of
thunderstorms illustrates our industry's commitment to customers,"
said EEI President Tom Kuhn.
"FirstEnergy's crews worked tirelessly in hazardous conditions to
quickly and safely restore power. They are truly deserving of this
award."
"The EEI award is a special honor for the men and women who work
around the clock in trying conditions to restore power when severe
weather impacts our customers," 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 widespread and
rural nature of the areas damaged by these storms."
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 January 10, 2019, during the winter EEI Board of
Directors and CEO meeting in Florida.
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.