8-KOther EventsExhibits & Filings

FIRSTENERGY CORP 8-K Report, Corporate Update (Apr 22, 2005)

Filed April 22, 2005For Securities:FE

Summary

FirstEnergy Corp. (FE) has filed an 8-K report on April 22, 2005, to disclose significant events concerning its subsidiary, FirstEnergy Nuclear Operating Company (FENOC). FENOC is reviewing a notice of violation and a proposed $5.45 million fine from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) related to a corrosion issue at the Davis-Besse Nuclear Power Plant. This issue, discovered in March 2002, involved corrosion on the reactor head. FENOC has since replaced the reactor head, implemented operational enhancements, and made staff changes. The Davis-Besse plant has been operating safely since its restart in March 2004. The NRC has indicated that this enforcement action does not reflect the plant's current performance and no further action is expected unless new information emerges from the Department of Justice.

Key Highlights

  • 1FirstEnergy's subsidiary, FENOC, is responding to an NRC notice of violation and a proposed $5.45 million fine.
  • 2The fine and violation are related to a corrosion issue discovered in March 2002 at the Davis-Besse Nuclear Power Plant.
  • 3FENOC has taken corrective actions including replacing the reactor head, making operational enhancements, and staff changes.
  • 4The Davis-Besse plant has been operating safely and reliably since its restart in March 2004.
  • 5The NRC stated that the enforcement action does not reflect the plant's current performance.
  • 6No further civil enforcement action is anticipated from the NRC, pending any new information from the Department of Justice.

Frequently Asked Questions

This 8-K filing is primarily to report that FirstEnergy's subsidiary, FirstEnergy Nuclear Operating Company (FENOC), is reviewing a notice of violation and a proposed $5.45 million fine from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) related to a past corrosion issue at the Davis-Besse Nuclear Power Plant.

The issue involved corrosion on the reactor head, which was discovered during an inspection in March 2002. This led to a significant outage for repairs and enhancements.

FENOC has replaced the reactor head, conducted investigations into the causes, made numerous staff changes, and implemented enhancements to plant programs and equipment. The plant was successfully restarted in March 2004 and has operated safely since then.

According to the NRC's letter to FENOC, this action does not reflect the current performance of the Davis-Besse plant, and no further civil enforcement action is expected, unless new information arises from the Department of Justice.