FirstEnergy ready for peak summer demand across nuclear, coal, and natural gas sectors

FirstEnergy Corp. announced on Friday that it has completed nuclear, coal and natural gas generating station updates to meet peak, above average demand for customers in Ohio, West Virginia and Pennsylvania this summer.

“Preparing to meet the higher electricity demands of summer through safe, clean and reliable operations is our main objective at this time of year,” FirstEnergy Generation President Jim Lash said. “We have invested thousands of hours completing summer preparation activities, and our plants are ready to meet customer needs as energy consumption rises along with the temperature.”

The National Weather Service predicts that most United States residents will experience higher-than-average temperatures this summer, potentially leading to considerable demand compared to last year’s figures.

FirstEnergy has implemented several initiatives to meet the demand, including conducting maintenance checks on air conditioners and cooling systems, executing water maintenance on towers to prevent algae and zebra mussel growth, and clearing sumps. The utility has also performed maintenance work at three of its non-emitting nuclear facilities, six natural gas and oil plants, and six coal-firing generating stations to ensure that it has sufficient energy to meet summer demand.

FirstEnergy supplies approximately 17,000 megawatts of energy to customers in Ohio, Illinois, Virginia, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and West Virginia.