FirstEnergy's Pennsylvania Power Company (Penn Power) has filed a plan with the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PaPUC) to procure electric generation supply to serve customers beginning in June 2011. The company, which does not own any electric generating plants, serves approximately 160,000 customers in western Pennsylvania.
The procurement process will be managed by NERA, a global consulting firm with expertise in energy markets. NERA will purchase the required power supply from the wholesale marketplace, by rate class, through multiple solicitations with staggered delivery periods over the two-year term of the program. The process is designed to ensure confidentiality of information provided by bidders, who will be required to certify that they are creditworthy, acting independently of other bidders, and are making firm offers to provide generation service to customers.
The company previously filed plans for meeting state-mandated alternative energy standards. A separate bidding process will be conducted in order to meet the solar energy requirements.
The company expects that the PaPUC will rule on their application later this year.
FirstEnergy is a diversified energy company headquartered in Akron, Ohio. Its subsidiaries and affiliates are involved in the generation, transmission and distribution of electricity, as well as energy management and other energy-related services. Its seven electric utility operating companies comprise the nation's fifth largest investor-owned electric system, based on 4.5 million customers served, within a 36,100-square-mile area of Ohio, Pennsylvania and New Jersey.