FirstEnergy Financing Activities for the quarter ended March 31, 2005











SEC File No. 70-10122







SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, DC 20549






CERTIFICATE PURSUANT TO

RULE 24

OF PARTIAL COMPLETION OF

TRANSACTIONS






FirstEnergy Corp.
 
 


 
 
------------------------------------------------------------------
In the matter of                 :
FirstEnergy Corp.                    :  Certificate Pursuant
                  :  to Rule 24 of Partial
                  :  Completion of
                  :  Transactions
                  :
SEC File No. 70-10122               :
(Public Utility Holding Company Act      :
of 1935)                      :                         :
-------------------------------------------------------------------   


TO THE MEMBERS OF THE SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION:

The undersigned, FirstEnergy Corp. (FirstEnergy) hereby certifies pursuant to Rule 24 of the Rules and Regulations under the Public Utility Holding Company Act of 1935 (the Act), that certain of the transactions proposed in the Applications, as amended, filed in SEC File No. 70-10122 have been carried out in accordance with the Commission’s Order dated June 30, 2003 as follows:

(1)  
During the period January 1, 2005 through March 31, 2005, there were no sales of common stock or preferred securities by FirstEnergy.

 (2)  
FirstEnergy purchased on the open market 305,452 shares of common stock pursuant to dividend reinvestment plans and 475,374 shares of restricted stock units were granted under employee benefit plans during the first quarter of 2005. The restrictions on restricted stock units lapse over a defined period of time or based on performance. Dividends are received on the restricted stock units and are reinvested in additional shares.

 (3)  
During the period January 1, 2005 through March 31, 2005, no FirstEnergy common stock was transferred to a seller of securities of a company being acquired.

 (4)  
During the period January 1, 2005 through March 31, 2005, there was no Long-term Debt and Preferred Securities issued by FirstEnergy. FirstEnergy issued the following Short-term Debt during the first quarter of 2005:

   
Transaction
 
Maturity
     
Transaction
 
   
       Date         
 
    Date   
 
   Rate  
 
      Amount      
 
CitiBank (FirstEnergy Revolver - 1 Billion 3 Year Facility) 
                         
FirstEnergy
   
1/3/2005
   
1/4/2005
   
5.33%
 
$
5,000,000.00
 
FirstEnergy
   
1/5/2005
   
1/12/2005
   
3.45%
 
$
110,000,000.00
 
FirstEnergy
   
1/6/2005
   
1/13/2005
   
3.45%
 
$
45,000,000.00
 
FirstEnergy
   
1/20/2005
   
1/27/2005
   
3.45%
 
$
60,000,000.00
 
FirstEnergy
   
1/31/2005
   
2/1/2005
   
5.33%
 
$
5,000,000.00
 
 
 
 
1

 
(5)  
During the period January 1, 2005 through March 31, 2005, the following short-term debt was issued by the Utility Subsidiaries:

   
Transaction
 
Maturity
     
Transaction
 
   
       Date      
 
    Date   
 
   Rate     
 
      Amount     
 
FirstMerit (Ohio Edison Company (OE) Bi-Lateral Facility)
                 
OE
   
1/26/2005
   
Various*
   
3.06%
 
$
10,000,000.00
 
OE
   
1/28/2005
   
Various*
   
3.13%
 
$
5,000,000.00
 
OE
   
1/31/2005
   
Various*
   
3.25%
 
$
7,000,000.00
 
OE
   
2/2/2005
   
Various*
   
3.25%
 
$
4,000,000.00
 
OE
   
3/25/2005
   
3/29/2005
   
3.25%
 
$
14,000,000.00
 
                           
* Various date between 1/27/2005 to 2/4/2005
               
 
       
                           
KeyBank (OE Bi-Lateral Facility)
                         
OE
   
12/31/2004
   
1/4/2005
   
3.43%
 
$
7,000,000.00
 
OE
   
1/3/2005
   
1/4/2005
   
3.40%
 
$
3,000,000.00
 
OE
   
1/6/2005
   
1/7/2005
   
3.42%
 
$
19,000,000.00
 
OE
   
1/12/2005
   
1/13/2005
   
3.39%
 
$
19,000,000.00
 
OE
   
1/31/2005
   
2/1/2005
   
3.67%
 
$
20,000,000.00
 
OE
   
2/2/2005
   
2/3/2005
   
3.64%
 
$
8,000,000.00
 
OE
   
3/28/2005
   
3/29/2005
   
3.93%
 
$
4,000,000.00
 
OE
   
3/30/2005
   
3/31/2005
   
3.90%
 
$
6,000,000.00
 

Under the Utility Money Pool, the principal balance of borrowings at the end of the first quarter of 2005 and average interest rate during the first quarter of 2005 are as follows:

Regulated Money Pool
 
Average
 
Principal
 
Loan to/(Borrowing from):    
 
Interest Rate
 
      Balance      
 
           
OE
   
2.6591%
 
$
688,256,709
 
Pennsylvania Power Company (Penn)
   
2.6591%
 
 
(10,461,117
)
The Cleveland Electric Illuminating Company (CEI)
   
2.6591%
 
 
(457,154,966
)
The Toledo Edison Company (TE)
   
2.6591%
 
 
(394,494,352
)
American Transmission Systems, Incorporated (ATSI)
   
2.6591%
 
 
6,609,162
 
Jersey Central Power & Light Company (JCP&L)
   
2.6591%
 
 
(204,793,846
)
Metropolitan Edison Company (Met-Ed)
   
2.6591%
 
 
(108,677,559
)
Pennsylvania Electric Company (Penelec)
   
2.6591%
 
 
(69,692,586
)
York Haven Power Company
   
2.6591%
 
 
14,476,350
 

 (6)  
During the first quarter of 2005, there were no financings consummated by any Non-Utility subsidiary that were not exempt under rule 52.
 
(7)  
During the first quarter of 2005, the following guarantees were made by FirstEnergy to support activities of its subsidiaries:
 
 
2
 
 
           
Purpose of
 
Beneficiary
 
Amount
 
Terms
 
Guarantee
 
               
FirstEnergy Solutions Corp. (FES) (Trading - Electric)
                   
Bank of America NA
 
$
5,000,000
   
(a)
 
 
(c)
 
Consumers Energy
 
$
750,000
   
(a)
 
 
(c)
 
MISO
 
$
20,000,000
   
(b)
 
 
(d)
 
                     
FirstEnergy Service Company
                   
MISO
 
$
6,400,000
   
(b)
 
 
(d)
 
                   
FirstEnergy Generation Corp. (Fuel Marketing / Coal)
                   
Dominion Energy Marketing
 
$
1,000,000
   
(a)
 
 
(e)
 
Peabody COALTRADE
 
$
3,500,000
   
(a)
 
 
(e)
 
                   
Met-Ed (Long-term Power Supply)
                   
Constellation Power Source
 
$
4,000,000
   
(f)
 
 
(g)
 
                     
Penelec (Long-term Power Supply)
                   
Constellation Power Source
 
$
4,000,000
   
(f)
 
 
(h)
 
                     
RPC Mechanical, Inc. - HVAC
                   
National City Bank
 
$
4,900,000
   
1 year
   
(i)
 
   
(a)  
Such guarantees are issued for a one-year term, with a ten-day termination right by FirstEnergy.

(b)  
This is a continuing guaranty issued to the Midwest Independent Transmission System Operator (MISO), with a ten-day termination right by FirstEnergy.

(c)  
Parental guarantees issued by FirstEnergy to provide credit support for electric power purchases by subsidiary.

(d)  
Parental guarantees issued by FirstEnergy to provide credit support for transmission and electric market activities in MISO.

(e)  
Credit backstop to support coal purchases and emission trading.

(f)  
Expires on December 31, 2010.

(g)  
Parental guaranty issued by FirstEnergy to support the long-term power purchase by Metropolitan Edison Company from Constellation.

(h)  
Parental guaranty issued by FirstEnergy to support the long-term power purchase by Pennsylvania Electric Company from Constellation.

 
    (i)
Credit backstop to support revolving credit agreement.

The following Letters of Credits (LOC) were issued during the first quarter of 2005:

       
Purpose of
 
Beneficiary
 
   Amount   
 
     LOC   
 
           
Penn
         
U.S. Department of Labor - Workers Comp Programs
 
$
250,000
   
(a)
 

(a)  
Collateral held for the Pennsylvania employees’ workers Compensation Program. Automatic renewal of previous issued LOC.
 
 
3
 
 
 (8)    
During the first quarter of 2005, FirstEnergy entered into two (2) transactions designed to hedge the fair value of a portion of its fixed-rate long-term debt portfolio against decreases in interest rates. The hedge structures are fixed - for - floating interest rate swaps, whereby FirstEnergy will receive fixed payments equivalent to the fixed coupon rate of the bond being hedged, and pay floating rate payments based on the 6-month London Interbank Offering Rates (LIBOR) plus or minus an applicable spread. The debt instruments being hedged, notional amounts, counterparties, and principal terms of the fair value hedges are filed pursuant to request for confidential treatment.
 
 (9)   
Investments made during the first quarter of 2005 in any intermediate subsidiary or financing subsidiary are as follows:
 
Company
 
     Investment   
 
   
(In Thousands $)
 
       
Penn Power Funding LLC
 
$
1,000
 

(10)
There were no U-6B-2 filed during the first quarter of 2005.
 
(11)   
There were no jurisdictional financing transactions during the first quarter of 2005.
 
(12)   
The following table presented in thousands, provides the capital structure of FirstEnergy on a consolidated basis and each Utility Subsidiary as of the end of the first quarter of 2005.
 
FirstEnergy
 
  Amount   
 
  Ratio  
 
Common Equity
 
$
8,620,953
   
43.44
%
Preferred Stock
   
238,719
   
1.20
%
Long-Term Debt
   
10,680,061
   
53.80
%
Short-Term Debt
   
310,125
   
1.56
%
Total Capitalization
 
$
19,849,858
   
100.00
%
               
OE
             
Common Equity
 
$
2,501,314
   
58.07
%
Preferred Stock
   
100,070
   
2.32
%
Long-Term Debt
   
1,496,057
   
34.73
%
Short-Term Debt
   
210,041
   
4.88
%
Total Capitalization
 
$
4,307,482
   
100.00
%
               
CEI
             
Common Equity
 
$
1,810,392
   
41.95
%
Preferred Stock
   
-
   
-
%
Long-Term Debt
   
2,034,471
   
47.14
%
Short-Term Debt
   
470,732
   
10.91
%
Total Capitalization
 
$
4,315,595
   
100.00
%
               
TE
             
Common Equity
 
$
832,493
   
47.73
%
Preferred Stock
   
126,000
   
7.22
%
Long-Term Debt
   
391,081
   
22.42
%
Short-Term Debt
   
394,761
   
22.63
%
Total Capitalization
 
$
1,744,335
   
100.00
%

Penn
         
Common Equity
 
$
333,741
   
61.36
%
Preferred Stock
   
39,105
   
7.19
%
Long-Term Debt
   
160,413
   
29.49
%
Short-Term Debt
   
10,644
   
1.96
%
Total Capitalization
 
$
543,903
   
100.00
%
               
 
 
4
 
JCP&L
             
Common Equity
 
$
3,149,797
   
68.20
%
Preferred Stock
   
12,649
   
0.27
%
Long-Term Debt
   
1,251,591
   
27.10
%
Short-Term Debt
   
204,794
   
4.43
%
Total Capitalization
 
$
4,618,831
   
100.00
%
               
 
Met-Ed
         
Common Equity  
$
1,292,944     60.61
%
Preferred Stock
   
-
   
-
%
Long-Term Debt
   
731,609
   
34.30
%
Short-Term Debt
   
108,677
   
5.09
%
Total Capitalization
 
$
2,133,230
   
100.00
%
               
Penelec
             
Common Equity
 
$
1,321,407
   
64.42
%
Preferred Stock
   
-
   
-
%
Long-Term Debt
   
490,220
   
23.90
%
Short-Term Debt
   
239,693
   
11.68
%
Total Capitalization
 
$
2,051,320
   
100.00
%

(13)  
The following table presented in thousands provides retained earnings analysis of FirstEnergy on a consolidated basis and each Utility Subsidiary as of the end of the first quarter 2005.

   
FirstEnergy
 
OE     
 
CEI    
 
TE     
 
Balance, December 31, 2004
 
$
1,856,863
 
$
442,198
 
$
553,740
 
$
191,059
 
Net Income
   
159,726
   
56,757
   
15,472
   
365
 
Cash Dividends on Preferred Stock
   
-
   
(659
)
 
(1,429
)
 
(2,211
)
Cash Dividends on Common Stock
   
(135,542
)
 
(47,000
)
 
(55,000
)
 
-
 
Other
   
-
   
-
   
(1,495
)
 
-
 
Balance, March 31, 2005
 
$
1,881,047
 
$
451,296
 
$
511,288
 
$
189,213
 
                           
 
   
Penelec
   
JCP&L
   
Met-Ed
   
Penelec
 
Balance, December 31, 2004
 
$
87,695
 
$
43,271
 
$
38,966
 
$
46,068
 
Net Income
   
15,002
   
14,519
   
16,476
   
21,384
 
Cash Dividends on Preferred Stock
   
(640
)
 
(125
)
 
-
   
-
 
Cash Dividends on Common Stock
   
(8,000
)
 
(20,000
)
 
(9,000
)
 
(5,000
)
Other
   
-
   
-
   
-
   
1
 
Balance, March 31, 2005
 
$
94,057
 
$
37,665
 
$
46,442
 
$
62,453
 
 
(14)      
During the first quarter of 2005, there was no change to any of the credit ratings of FirstEnergy Corp. or any of its subsidiaries by any of the nationally recognized credit rating agencies.

(15)    
FirstEnergy’s aggregate investment includes all amounts invested, or commitments to be invested, in exempt wholesale generators (EWGs), for which there is recourse, directly or indirectly, to the registered holding company. Accordingly, FirstEnergy’s aggregate investment as of March 31, 2005 is as follows:

   
(In Thousands)
 
FE Generation Corp.
 
$
979,479
 
Termobarranquilla S. A.
   
46,551
 
Aggregate Investment in EWGs
 
$
1,026,030*
 
 
*  Aggregate investment amounts reflected here include LOCs and guarantees, but do not include any goodwill or other fair value adjustments.
 
5

Aggregate Investment as a Percentage of FirstEnergy and Subsidiary Companies:

Total capitalization
 
$
19,849,858
   
5.2
%
Net utility plant
 
$
13,550,063
   
7.6
%
Total consolidated assets
 
$
31,260,563
   
3.3
%
Market value of common equity
 
$
13,836,632
   
7.4
%

(16)    
Set forth below is a summary of the direct or indirect investments as defined in SEC Rule 53(a) by FirstEnergy, as of March 31, 2005 in EWGs, as well as the percentage of equity ownership.

 
 
 
Associate Company
FirstEnergy’s
Investment at
03/31/05
    ($000)*    
 
FirstEnergy’s
% Equity
   Ownership  
 
          Owners not affiliated with FirstEnergy            
 
  Name of Entity   
Type of Entity
         
Termobarranquilla S.A. (a)
$           46,551
0%
ABB Energy Ventures, Inc.
Foreign
     
Lancaster Steel
Foreign
     
Distral Group
Foreign
     
Corp. Electrica
Foreign
     
Corp. Electrica
 
     
De la Costa
 
     
Atlantica
 
     
Darby Mazzanine
 
     
Holdings, LLC
 
     
 
 
FE Generation Corp.
          979,479
100%
Not Applicable
N/A
         
Total Aggregate Investment in EWGs
 
$       1,026,030
     
 
 (*)    Aggregate investment amounts reflected here include LOCs and guarantees, but do not include any goodwill or other fair value adjustments.
 
 (a)    FirstEnergy sold Termobarranquilla S.A. on January 31, 2004. The remaining investment represents outstanding LOCs issued by FirstEnergy.
 
 (17)  
FirstEnergy and Subsidiary Companies Consolidated Capitalization Ratios as of March 31, 2005:
 

   
Amount (000’s)
 
Ratio 
 
Common equity
 
$
8,620,953
   
43.4
%
Preferred stock not subject to mandatory redemption
   
238,719
   
1.2
%
Long-term debt
   
10,680,061
   
53.8
%
Notes payable
   
310,125
   
1.6
%
               
Total capitalization
 
$
19,849,858
   
100.0
%
 
 (18)  
Market-to-book ratio of FirstEnergy and Subsidiary Companies common stock at March 31, 2005:
 
 
   
Closing Market Price per Share   $
41.95
 
Book Value per Share
 
$
26.25
 
Market-to Book Ratio of Common Stock
   
159.8
%

(19)  
No new EWG/FUCO project covered by the Modified Rule 53 Test in which FirstEnergy has invested or committed to invest during the first quarter of 2005.
 
 
6
 
 
 (20) 
Analysis of Growth in Retained Earnings for FirstEnergy and Subsidiary Companies:
 
   
(In Thousands)
 
Retained Earnings as of 03/31/05
 
$
1,881,047
 
Retained Earnings as of 12/31/04
   
1,856,863
 
Growth in Retained Earnings
 
$
24,184
 
         
Analysis of Growth in Retained Earnings:
       
Income contribution from regulated utility companies
 
$
125,591
 
Income contribution from EWGs
   
25,155
 
Income contribution from all other companies
   
35,872
 
FirstEnergy Holding and Service companies
   
(26,892
)
Cash dividends declared on common stock
   
(135,542
)
Growth in Retained Earnings
 
$
24,184
 

(21)  
Statements of Operations for the period ended March 31, 2005 for FirstEnergy Generation Corp. will be filed separately under a request for confidential treatment under Rule 104 (b)


7

SIGNATURE


The undersigned registered holding company has duly caused this quarterly report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned officer thereunto duly authorized pursuant to the requirements of the Public Utility Holding Company Act of 1935.


     
 
FirstEnergy Corp.
     
     
     
May 20, 2005
   
 
By:
  /s/  Harvey L. Wagner
 
        Harvey L. Wagner
  Vice President, Controller
and Chief Accounting Officer
(Principal Accounting Officer)



8