FirstEnergy Ohio utilities to pay $250.7M penalty following PUCO order

The Public Utilities Commission of Ohio issued orders in its investigation in response to the criminal investigation brought by the U.S. Department of Justice surrounding the passage of Amended Substitute House Bill 6 during the 133rd General Assembly. In two separate orders, the Commission found FirstEnergy’s (FE) Ohio utilities-Cleveland Electric Illuminating Company, Ohio Edison and Toledo Edison-violated Ohio law, PUCO regulations, PUCO orders, and ordered the utilities to pay a combined $250.7M in restitution to customers and civil forfeitures. The Commission found the utilities failed to demonstrate they adhered to a 2016 Commission order authorizing it to collect a “distribution modernization rider” for the sole purposes of supporting the utilities’ efforts to modernize their distribution grids. The Commission further found the utilities used money, collected from customers from 2017-2019, to subsidize its unregulated generation affiliate in violation of Ohio law.