February 11th, 2017 by WCBC Radio
FirstEnergy Solutions wants to get out of the power-generating business, and its Maryland customers will be getting notices about their options, a spokesman said Friday.
The Herald Mail reports Chris Eck with FirstEnergy says customers will have to choose, or make a decision not to choose, who generates their electricity. "We are looking to extract ourselves from the generation business," Eck said Friday. FirstEnergy Corp. is the parent company of several entities, including FirstEnergy Solutions, a subsidiary that sells electric generation, Eck said. It's also the parent company of 10 utility operating companies, including Potomac Edison, he said.
The business includes producing electricity at plants fueled by coal, nuclear power, natural gas, wind and other sources, as well as distributing that power to customers through its utility network of wires and other equipment, Eck said. In November, FirstEnergy announced it was moving away from competitive generation markets and exploring options that included selling or deactivating power plants. In January, FirstEnergy announced it had agreed to sell four of its natural gas facilities in Pennsylvania and its competitive portion of a Virginia hydroelectric station to a company based in New York, according to a news release from the company. Eck said FirstEnergy will still own and maintain the wires and other parts of its distribution system. "We'll still be the ones you call when the power goes out," he said. He said deregulation in states like Maryland has led to options for consumers.
"You've had the ability to shop for a number of years, whether you've shopped or not," he said.
The notice to customers of FirstEnergy Solutions outlines two choices:
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