MEDIA ADVISORY: FirstEnergy Power Restoration Efforts Progress Following Windstorm

AKRON, Ohio – FirstEnergy Corp. (NYSE: FE) utilities continue restoring power to customers after severe winds moved through the service territory Friday. Gusty conditions today and another storm system tonight and tomorrow are expected to cause additional outages. Priority will be placed on outages caused by Friday’s storm, and crews will continue working around the clock until all customers impacted by either weather event have power restored.

Power has been restored to 92% of the 668,000 customers affected. About 56,000 customers remain without service, primarily in the hardest-hit areas of central and northeast Ohio and western Pennsylvania. More than 6,900 FirstEnergy employees, contractors and outside resources are supporting restoration efforts, with additional crews being deployed to hardest hit areas as they become available.

Estimated restoration times (ETRs) are set for all areas and reflect when nearly all customers are expected to have power restored. Many customers will be restored sooner, depending on damage in their area.

Updates by electric company as of 10 a.m.:

• The Illuminating Company: 137,100 customers in northeast Ohio have had power restored, and 17,900 remain without service. The ETR for customers in Ashtabula County and the Westlake area is tonight by 11 p.m. The ETR for remaining Illuminating Company customers is tomorrow, March 16, by 11 p.m.
• Ohio Edison: 165,477 customers in northern and central Ohio have had power restored, and 14,950 remain without service. The ETR for customers in the Alliance, Elyria, Jackson, Lorain, Massillon, Medina, Port Clinton, Salem, Sandusky, Springfield, Vermillion and Youngstown areas is tonight by 11 p.m. The ETR for remaining Ohio Edison customers is tomorrow, March 16, by 11 p.m.
• Toledo Edison: 29,950 customers in northwest Ohio have had power restored. The ETR for the remaining 1,800 customers is tonight by 11 p.m.
• Penelec: 84,900 customers in northern and central Pennsylvania have had power restored. The ETR for the remaining 2,000 customers is tonight by 11 p.m.
• Penn Power: 15,900 customers in western Pennsylvania have had power restored, and 3,400 remain without service. The ETR for customers in Crawford, Indiana and Venango Counties is tomorrow, March 16, by 11 p.m. All other Penn Power customers are expected to have power restored by this evening.
• West Penn Power: 101,400 customers in southwest and central Pennsylvania have had power restored, and 13,700 remain without service. The ETR by county follows:
  • Centre County – 1 p.m. today
  • Bedford and Fulton Counties – 6 p.m. today
  • Franklin County – 11 p.m. today
  • Clarion and Fayette Counties – 3 p.m. tomorrow, March 16
  • Clinton County – 11 p.m. tomorrow, March 16
  • Greene and Washington Counties – 11:30 p.m. tomorrow, March 16
  • Allegheny, Armstrong, Butler, Indiana and Westmoreland Counties – 11 p.m. Tuesday, March 17
• Mon Power: 29,300 customers in West Virginia have had power restored. The ETR for the remaining 1,700 customers is tonight by 11 p.m.

Customers who are without power can call 1-888-LIGHTSS (1-888-544-4877), text OUT to 544487 or report online at firstenergycorp.com/outages.

News Media Hotline: 888-233-3583