FirstEnergy promises environmental report

2/10/2005

AKRON - FirstEnergy Corp., which owns the coal-fired Bay Shore power plant in Oregon and the Davis-Besse nuclear plant off State Rt. 2 in Ottawa County, said it plans to give its shareholders an in-depth report by Dec. 1 about its' operations' effect on the environment.

Ellen Raines, a spokesman for the utility, said it was not immediately clear how the report would differ from other company materials produced to date. But she confirmed that the study was prompted by concerns from the Presbyterian Church and the Marianist Province of the United States, both of which own company stock.

FirstEnergy is one of the nation's largest utilities, with its energy portfolio being primarily coal and nuclear facilities in Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey.

Ms. Raines said the report probably will point out that FirstEnergy's emissions from coal plants are mitigated by its investment in nuclear, which produces 40 percent of the utility's electricity.

By comparison, about 20 percent of electricity nationwide is generated by nuclear plants.