AKRON, Ohio, Sept. 21, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- FirstEnergy Corp.
(NYSE: FE) has been named by Site Selection magazine as one
of the nation's leading utilities in promoting economic development
for the third year in a row, helping to attract 14,500 new jobs and
$5.5 billion in third-party corporate
facility investment in its six-state service area in 2020.
The Site Selection award winners were chosen from a field
of more than 3,300 electric utilities and cooperatives across the
country. The recipient utilities were recognized for complementing
reliable power delivery to their customers with a hands-on approach
to encouraging business development in their operational areas.
"Even in the midst of the pandemic, our economic development
team positively influenced 107 major projects in 2020, attracting
more new jobs and more direct investment than 2019, which also was
a banner year for our efforts," said Patrick Kelly, director of Economic Development
for FirstEnergy. "We are proud to have received recognition from
Site Selection 17 times in the last 19 years, which
highlights the effective economic development relationships and
programs that benefit all of the states we are proud to serve."
Kelly says one of the bigger projects was General Motors and LG
Chem investing $2.8 billion in Ultium
Cells, a new electric vehicle battery facility being built in the
Youngstown-Warren area of Ohio, which has gained a reputation as
"Voltage Valley" because of multiple electric vehicle-related
industries under development there. FirstEnergy also is helping
drive construction of a tremendous amount of distribution centers
in the parts of eastern Pennsylvania it serves. This is a prime area
in close proximity to East Coast population centers, while avoiding
congestion issues on Interstate-95.
In 2020, FirstEnergy launched a new economic development website
– www.fe-economic-development.com – and sponsored webinars on
the economic impact of the pandemic, focusing on how businesses in
its six-state service area can encourage and facilitate foreign
direct investment as part of their overall economic development
efforts.
FirstEnergy's economic development team regularly provides the
following services for companies looking to locate or expand in its
footprint:
- Location analysis and community research
- Site tours
- Permitting and regulations expertise
- Information on available sites and buildings
- Demographic, workforce and business establishments data
- Introductions to local, regional and state officials
- Information about local and state economic development
incentives
"Many times, the best economic development assistance we can
provide is being an active liaison with FirstEnergy's ten
utilities, especially when it comes to ensuring the local grid can
handle the added electrical usage any new projects produce," said
Kelly.
Along with expertise in business development relationships and
programs, FirstEnergy is investing in transmission system
enhancements and grid modernization to provide world-class
infrastructure capable of powering energy-intensive industries now
and in the future.
FirstEnergy is dedicated to integrity, safety, reliability and
operational excellence. Its 10 electric distribution companies form
one of the nation's largest investor-owned electric systems,
serving customers in Ohio,
Pennsylvania, New Jersey, West
Virginia, Maryland and
New York. The company's
transmission subsidiaries operate approximately 24,000 miles of
transmission lines that connect the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic
regions. Follow FirstEnergy on
Twitter @FirstEnergyCorp or online at
www.firstenergycorp.com.
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SOURCE FirstEnergy Corp.