Mon Power and Potomac Edison are subsidiaries of FirstEnergy. Read on to learn more about how the IRP could impact you and what you can do about it!
wHAT IS GOING ON:
West Virginia’s electric utilities are required to update their plans for how to meet energy needs, every five years. These plans, called “Integrated Resource Plans” or “IRPs,” are how utilities communicate how much power they believe is needed in future years, and how they think they should supply that power. The catch, though, is that we all pay for the utilities’ decide! So the IRP process is important for thinking of ways our utilities could keep costs low. You can learn more about what an IRP is here.
Mon Power and Potomac Edison, subsidiaries in West Virginia of FirstEnergy, submitted a joint IRP to the WV Public Service Commission (“PSC”) in October 2025. If they follow this plan, it could increase costs. So we need Mon Power/Potomac Edison customers like you to speak up.
KEY ASPECTS
new gas plants
FirstEnergy wants to construct a large (1,200 MW) natural gas-fired power plant that would go online in 2031. If built, it could cost billions of dollars to build over time.
FirstEnergy’s own predictions only justify a small capacity shortfall in the future– far less than the size of this gas plant. Still, FirstEnergy wants to build this costly plant to serve new data centers.
2. NO ENERGY EFFICIENCY
FirstEnergy plans to offer zero energy efficiency programs, even though such programs help reduce customer bills and improve reliability.
3. IGNORED CUSTOMER-OWNED POWER
FirstEnergy also ignores customer-owned power, such as solar and batteries.
THE DETAILS:
Two power companies – Monongahela Power Co. (“Mon Power”) and The Potomac Edison Co. (“Potomac Edison”) – owned by FirstEnergy submitted plans for an expensive power plant that their own projections show isn’t needed. The plan also fails to help customers reduce energy usage, an important tool for helping people take control of their energy bills. Learn more about the issues and potential solutions below:
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FirstEnergy wants to build a large new power plant to sell excess electricity to out-of-state customers and data centers. But new data centers aren’t a sure thing, and even FirstEnergy’s estimates show that constructing a giant gas plant could cost about $2 billion; and we are concerned that FirstEnergy will expect us ratepayers to pay for the plant. Instead of building an expensive power plant, there are smarter ways that the utilities could address future energy needs. The utilities should investigate other options that are better for ratepayers.
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FirstEnergy customers in other states, and most other electric utility customers in West Virginia, can get help to reduce their usage through energy efficiency programs. But Mon Power and Potomac Edison customers in West Virginia do not have access to those programs. These incentives are popular nationwide because they are cost-effective for ratepayers and empower people to reduce their energy costs on their own. All West Virginians, including FirstEnergy customers, should be encouraged to efficiently use power in a cost-effective way. In 2024, the PSC directed utilities to pursue energy efficiency, but FirstEnergy has not done so.
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One method of meeting demand for power is to have what are called “distributed power plants” (also called “DPPs,” or “virtual power plants”). Distributed power plants work by having a network of customers who have batteries in their homes. When demand on the electric grid is high (and power is expensive) the customers allow the utility to put energy onto the grid from the batteries.
In Vermont, a rural and mountainous state like West Virginia, the utilities are using distributed power plants to help meet capacity requirements and cut costs.
West Virginia’s utilities are some of the least reliable in the nation, with more power outages than most states. Having battery backup will help customers keep their lights on when the power is out. Being able to help the grid during high-demand times, and reducing demand through efficiency and solar, will cut costs for all ratepayers.
Let us stand united and oppose these plans. Together, we can safeguard our energy freedom by pushing back on FirstEnergy’s plans for expanding expensive utility-owned power and suppressing customer-owned solutions that benefit all West Virginians. Submit a comment to the PSC and take action below!