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2007 City of Akron NEWS Releases
from the desk of Mark Williamson

FIRSTENERGY PLANS MAJOR EXPANSION IN WEST AKRON

(03/01/07) - Akron, Ohio – FirstEnergy Corp. (NYSE: FE) today announced that it is finalizing plans to construct new buildings that may provide more than 200,000 square-feet of office space and has the potential to house up to 700 employees on a site adjacent to its service facility in west Akron.

"This project underscores our strong support for our hometown of Akron, which has continually proven to be a great place for our people to live and work," said Anthony J. Alexander, president and chief executive officer of FirstEnergy. "Thanks to the support we have received from Mayor Plusquellic and his economic development team, we are able to move forward with plans for our West Akron Campus and consolidate a number of our operations. And, we are excited about this opportunity to design a facility that will provide a state-of-the-art working environment for our employees."

"As FirstEnergy has grown into one of the nation’s largest energy companies, we always have taken great pride that its headquarters is a centerpiece of downtown Akron and many of its operations have remained in our community," said Mayor Donald L. Plusquellic. "The company’s West Akron Campus, along with its presence downtown, will continue to have a positive economic impact on Akron for many years to come, including significant contributions to our community’s property and income tax base."

The West Akron Campus eventually will house FirstEnergy Information Technology Group employees and those from its FirstEnergy Solutions subsidiary. The buildings will be located near White Pond Drive on the company’s west Akron complex, approximately 150 acres bordered by West Market Street, Hawkins Avenue, Mull Avenue, Frank Boulevard, and White Pond Drive. The complex already houses Ohio Edison’s largest operations service center in the Akron area, a FirstEnergy customer contact center, and other company facilities.

Graphic of proposed site.The initial ground breaking for the West Akron Campus project is scheduled to take place during the second quarter of 2007, and it is anticipated that construction will be completed in 2008.

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 serving 4.5 million customers in Ohio, Pennsylvania and New Jersey; and its generation subsidiaries control more than 14,000 megawatts of capacity.

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Ellen Raines
(330) 384-5808

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