FirstEnergy Nuclear Operating Company Breaks Ground for New Emergency Operations Facility

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Jun 15, 2011, 03:36 ET

AKRON, Ohio, June 15, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- FirstEnergy Nuclear Operating Company (FENOC), a subsidiary of FirstEnergy Corp. (NYSE: FE), broke ground today for a new Emergency Operations Center in Painesville, Ohio, for the Perry Nuclear Power Plant.

The 12,000 square-foot facility will house activities related to maintaining public health and safety during the unlikely event of an emergency at the plant. Personnel will utilize state-of-the-art equipment to monitor environmental conditions and communicate with state and local emergency representatives. The center also will be used during quarterly training drills and bi-annual emergency exercises evaluated by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Construction of the building is expected to be completed in January 2012. Until then, the current Emergency Operation Center located at the Perry Plant will remain operational.

"Protecting the health and safety of the public is our primary responsibility," said Mark Bezilla, vice president of Perry. "The new center, coupled with the knowledgeable men and women who operate from the center, will ensure our responsibility is fully upheld."

FirstEnergy is a diversified energy company headquartered in Akron, Ohio. Its FENOC subsidiary also operates the Beaver Valley Power Station in Shippingport, Pa., and the Davis-Besse Nuclear Power Station in Oak Harbor, Ohio.

SOURCE FirstEnergy