97-7787. Filings Under the Public Utility Holding Company Act of 1935, as Amended (``Act'')  

  • [Federal Register Volume 62, Number 59 (Thursday, March 27, 1997)]
    [Notices]
    [Pages 14713-14714]
    From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
    [FR Doc No: 97-7787]
    
    
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    SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
    [Release No. 35-26689]
    
    
    Filings Under the Public Utility Holding Company Act of 1935, as 
    Amended (``Act'')
    
    March 21, 1997.
        Notice is hereby given that the following filing(s) has/have been 
    made with the Commission pursuant to provisions of the Act and rules 
    promulgated thereunder. All interested persons are referred to the 
    application(s) and/or declaration(s) for complete statements of the 
    proposed
    
    [[Page 14714]]
    
    transaction(s) summarized below. The application(s) and/or 
    declaration(s) and any amendments thereto is/are available for public 
    inspection through the Commission's Office of Public Reference.
        Interested persons wishing to comment or request a hearing on the 
    application(s) and/or declaration(s) should submit their views in 
    writing by April 14, 1997, to the Secretary, Securities and Exchange 
    Commission, Washington, D.C. 20549, and serve a copy on the relevant 
    applicant(s) and/or declarant(s) at the address(es) specified below. 
    Proof of service (by affidavit or, in case of an attorney at law, by 
    certificate) should be filed with the request. Any request for hearing 
    shall identify specifically the issues of fact or law that are 
    disputed. A person who so requests will be notified of any hearing, if 
    ordered, and will receive a copy of any notice or order issued in the 
    matter. After said date, the application(s) and/or declaration(s), as 
    filed or as amended, may be granted and/or permitted to become 
    effective.
    
    FirstEnergy Corp. (70-8989)
    
        FirstEnergy Corp., 76 South Main Street, Akron, Ohio 44308, an Ohio 
    corporation (``FirstEnergy''), has filed an application under sections 
    9(a)(2) and 10 of the Act.
        FirstEnergy proposes to acquire, directly or indirectly, all of the 
    issued and outstanding voting securities (the ``Common Stock'') of Ohio 
    Edison Company (``Ohio Edison''), The Cleveland Electric Illuminating 
    Company (``Cleveland Electric''), The Toledo Edison Company (``Toledo 
    Edison'') and Pennsylvania Power Company (``Penn Power''), as well as 
    20.5% of the Common Stock of Ohio Valley Electric Corporation 
    (``OVEC'') which, in turn, owns all of the Common Stock of Indiana-
    Kentucky Electric Corporation (``IKEC''). Each of Ohio Edison, 
    Cleveland Electric, Toledo Edison, Penn Power, OVEC and IKEC 
    (collectively, ``Utility Subsidiaries'') are ``electric utility 
    companies'' as defined in section 2(a)(5) of the Act.
        The proposed acquisitions would be accomplished by a merger of 
    Centerior Energy Corporation (``Centerior'') and Ohio Edison with and 
    into FirstEnergy. Centerior, an exempt public-utility holding company 
    under section 3(a)(1) of the Act pursuant to rule 2 thereunder, 
    currently owns all of the Cleveland Electric and Toledo Edison Common 
    Stock. Toledo Edison owns 16.5% of OVEC Common Stock. Ohio Edison, an 
    exempt public-utility holding company under section 3(a)(2) currently 
    owns all of the Penn Power Common Stock.
        The service territory of each Utility Subsidiary, other than Penn 
    Power, is in Ohio. Ohio Edison and Penn Power operate as a single 
    utility system providing retail service to 1.1 million customers in 
    central and northeastern Ohio and western Pennsylvania. Toledo Edison 
    and Cleveland Electric serve over one million retail customers in 
    northeastern and northwestern Ohio. The service territories of Toledo 
    Edison and Cleveland Electric are not contiguous, being separated by 
    the service territory of Ohio Edison.
        Ohio Edison has seven wholly owned subsidiaries besides Penn Power: 
    OES Capital, Incorporated; OES Fuel, Incorporated; OES Finance, 
    Incorporated; OES Financing Trust; Ohio Edison Financing Trust II; OES 
    Nuclear, Incorporated; and OES Ventures, Incorporated (``Ventures''). 
    These subsidiaries manage and finance nuclear fuel, finance certain 
    electric accounts receivable and provide structures for investment in 
    energy related projects. Ventures finances and manages businesses 
    opportunities not directly related to the provision of electric 
    service.
        Centerior has four direct wholly owned subsidiaries other than 
    Cleveland Electric and Toledo Edison: Centerior Service Company, which 
    provides management, financial, administrative, engineering and legal 
    services to Cleveland Electric and Toledo Edison at cost; Centerior 
    Properties Company, CCO Company and Market Responsive Energy, Inc.
        The Agreement and Plan of Merger, dated as of September 13, 1996 
    (the ``Merger Agreement'') between Ohio Edison and Centerior, provide, 
    among other things, for (i) the merger of Centerior with and into 
    FirstEnergy Corp. and (ii) the merger of another wholly owned 
    subsidiary of FirstEnergy (``Ohio Edison Acquisition Corp.'') with and 
    into Ohio Edison pursuant to the Ohio Edison Merger Agreement 
    (collectively, the ``Merger''). Following the Merger, FirstEnergy will 
    be a holding company which will directly hold all of the Ohio Edison 
    Common Stock, Cleveland Electric Common Stock and Toledo Edison Common 
    Stock. Penn Power will remain a wholly owned subsidiary of Ohio Edison. 
    Each share of Centerior Common Stock would be converted into .525 
    shares of FirstEnergy Common Stock and each share of Ohio Edison Common 
    Stock would be converted into one share of FirstEnergy Common Stock.
        The boards of directors of Ohio Edison and Centerior have approved 
    the Merger Agreement. Consummation of the proposed transactions is 
    subject to the approval by shareholders of Ohio Edison and Centerior. 
    Presuming this Commission approves the acquisitions, FirstEnergy states 
    it intends to file for an exemption under section 3(a)(1) from all 
    provisions of the Act, other than section 9(a)(2), pursuant to rule 2 
    thereunder.
    
        For the Commission, by the Division of Investment Management, 
    pursuant to delegated authority.
    Jonathan G. Katz,
    Secretary.
    [FR Doc. 97-7787 Filed 3-26-97; 8:45 am]
    BILLING CODE 8010-01-M
    
    
    

Document Information

Published:
03/27/1997
Department:
Securities and Exchange Commission
Entry Type:
Notice
Document Number:
97-7787
Pages:
14713-14714 (2 pages)
Docket Numbers:
Release No. 35-26689
PDF File:
97-7787.pdf