FirstEnergy Solutions Cancels NOPEC Aggregation Contract Serving 500,000 Customers

FirstEnergy Solutions has exercised an option to cancel its contract to serve the Northeast Ohio Public Energy Council electricity aggregation, which serves 500,000 customers, effective January 1, NOPEC said.

The contract was to run through 2019 though it permitted an earlier cancellation.

NOPEC immediately began the search for a new electricity supplier and expects to have a new supplier in place in the immediate future, with power flowing to customers in the first quarter of 2017.

As of January 2017, NOPEC customers may be returned to the utilities’ standard service offer, meaning that they would pay the standard service offer price until they receive a new NOPEC opt-out offer and can be returned to the NOPEC program, NOPEC said

NOPEC alleged that prior to the contract termination, FES requested, "unilateral contract concessions."

NOPEC’s executive director Chuck Keiper said that the aggregation desired to continue holding adequate security for the supply of electricity to NOPEC customers.

"This was a particular concern amid numerous published news reports raising the possibility of FirstEnergy Solutions filing for bankruptcy," NOPEC said