a FirstEnergy substation
COLUMBUS — “The Ohio Consumers’ Counsel and its allies think consumers should not have to pay for what they consider FirstEnergy Corp.’s bungling of renewable-energy requirements.
The OCC and a small army of consumer, environmental and utility competitors are challenging the state’s approval of FirstEnergy’s latest rate plan, partly because the two-year extension of the existing plan makes consumers pay for the company’s decision to buy credits for renewable energy rather than pay fines.
Ohio law requires utilities to generate a percentage of power through renewable energy or buy credits from people and organizations that do.
The cost of renewable-energy credits can be passed on to consumers, but fines cannot. Rather than pay fines, FirstEnergy bought credits at prices higher than anywhere in the country, before or since, an independent audit found.”
John Funk, Plain Dealer
