Cost-Reduction Efforts at FirstEnergy's Perry Plant Recognized.

AKRON, Ohio--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 21, 1999--

Operating costs for the Perry Power Plant in 1998 were among the lowest in the nation for nuclear power plants, according to a recently published report in a national trade publication.

The July 12 edition of Nucleonics Week called 1998 a "breakthrough year for Perry." The 1250-megawatt unit's operating, maintenance and fuel costs of 1.4 cents per kilowatt-hour ranked as 11th lowest among 59 nuclear power stations in the United States reporting costs to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and the Department of Energy. Virginia Power's Surry Power Plant in Newport News had the lowest operating costs -- 1.2 cents per kilowatt-hour.

In 1998, the Perry Plant operated 362 out of 365 days to yield a 99-percent annual availability factor. The plant's gross generation of 10.6 million megawatt-hours last year placed it fifth in the nation and 14th among the 430 nuclear power plants in the world. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission recently recognized the plant's improved performance with excellent marks in the agency's most recent Plant Performance Report.

"The Perry Plant has made exceptional progress in the areas of performance and costs thanks to the efforts of hardworking and dedicated employees," says John Stetz, president of FirstEnergy Nuclear Operating Company (FENOC). "Our goal is to maintain our excellent safety record and continue to achieve world-class performance."

FENOC, a wholly owned subsidiary of FirstEnergy Corp. (NYSE:FE), in Akron, Ohio, operates the Perry and Davis-Besse power plants. FirstEnergy is a diversified regional retail and related energy services holding company with more than $18 billion in assets and nearly $6 billion in annual revenues. The company's electric operating companies -- The Illuminating Company, Ohio Edison, Toledo Edison and Penn Power -- comprise the nation's 12th largest investor-owned electric system.