Mon Power and Potomac Edison Reach Settlement in Rate Review

Agreement promotes delivery of safe, reliable & affordable power to West Virginia customers 

FAIRMONT, W.Va., Jan. 23, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Mon Power and Potomac Edison, subsidiaries of FirstEnergy Corp. (NYSE: FE), have filed a settlement agreement with the West Virginia Public Service Commission (PSC) that would resolve its base rate review proceeding and support the companies' continued focus on delivering safe, reliable and affordable power.  

Parties to the rate review settlement include staff of the Public Service Commission of West Virginia, the Consumer Advocate Division of the Commission, the West Virginia Energy Users Group, Longview Power, LLC, West Virginia Citizen Action Group, Solar United Neighbors and Energy Efficient West Virginia. 

Jim Myers, President of FirstEnergy's West Virginia Operations: "We're pleased to have reached an agreement that supports our important investments that strengthen the energy grid, funds reliability programs targeting rural communities and offers additional assistance to our customers facing financial hardship. We consistently explore avenues for settling cases to streamline processes and minimize expenses for the state and stakeholders."  

Mon Power and Potomac Edison have grown significantly in the nine years since their last base rate review, now serving approximately 550,000 customers in West Virginia – 25,000 more than it did in 2014. In that time, the companies collectively invested more than $1 billion to enhance and maintain the distribution, transmission and generation systems. 

If approved by the PSC, the $105 million rate adjustment agreement supports: 

• Investments that have helped create a more reliable and resilient electric system for FirstEnergy's customers in West Virginia. 
• An Infrastructure Investment Pilot Program to enhance reliability in rural areas by funding specific, targeted projects such as the construction of lines that provide alternative sources of power from different circuits. 
• The launch of an Energy Assistance Outreach Team to enhance the company's ongoing efforts to increase awareness, education and participation in energy assistance programs available to eligible, low-income customers, as well as financial assistance for health and safety improvements. 
• Recovery of costs incurred by Mon Power and Potomac Edison from the impact of major storms. 
• Depreciation rate changes to cover h costs associated with distribution and transmission facilities and Mon Power's West Virginia generating plants. Depreciation rates were last updated in May 2007. 
• Recommendations made in the performance management audit completed at the end of 2023.

The agreement filed on January 23 will be considered by the Commission. If the settlement is approved, the monthly bill for an average residential customer using 1,000 kilowatt hours per month would increase by 8% or $9.94 beginning March 27, 2024. 

The settlement agreement also requests that the Commission decide on a revision to the companies' Net Energy Metering Rider that would adjust the amount customers are credited for the energy they generate.

Rising energy costs may cause concern for customers. To help them manage their bills, Mon Power and Potomac Edison offer budget plans, special payment plans and access to energy assistance programs. To apply or learn more about other utility bill assistance programs, customers are encouraged to visit firstenergycorp.com/billassist or contact customer service at 1-800-686-0022 (Mon Power) and 1-800-686-0011 (Potomac Edison).   

Investor Note: For additional information on the filing, visit the new IR - Regulatory Corner in the "Investor Materials" section of the FirstEnergy website at https://investors.firstenergycorp.com. 

Mon Power serves about 395,000 customers in 34 West Virginia counties. Follow Mon Power at mon-power.com, on X, formerly known as Twitter, @MonPowerWV, and on Facebook at facebook.com/MonPowerWV. 

Potomac Edison serves about 285,000 customers in seven counties in Maryland and 155,000 customers in the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia. Follow Potomac Edison at potomacedison.com, on X @PotomacEdison and on Facebook at facebook.com/PotomacEdison. 

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 more than six million 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 firstenergycorp.com and on X, @firstenergycorp. 

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SOURCE FirstEnergy Corp.