Mon Power and Potomac Edison, subsidiaries of FirstEnergy Corp., filed a notice with the West Virginia Public Service Commission on December 22, 2025, announcing their intent to apply for a certificate of public convenience and necessity for a new 1,200‑megawatt combined‑cycle natural‑gas plant. The filing marks the first formal step in the regulatory approval process for a generation asset that could add significant capacity to the company’s portfolio and create a new source of regulated revenue.
The proposed plant will be built at a site that has not yet been selected, with construction expected to begin in the first quarter of 2026 and the facility slated to be online by 2031. FirstEnergy estimates the total project cost at roughly $7.7 billion, including investments in existing transmission infrastructure. The company has outlined two potential construction paths: partnering with a third‑party developer or proceeding with an in‑house build, a decision that will shape the project’s financing and timeline.
Strategically, the new plant is positioned to meet the growing electricity demand of data‑center operators in the PJM region, where FirstEnergy already operates a substantial transmission network. By adding gas‑fired capacity, the company can diversify its generation mix away from coal, which it plans to keep operating through 2035 with periodic five‑year reviews, and provide a cleaner, more flexible source of power to support high‑density computing loads.
The notice triggers a multi‑stage approval process that will culminate in the Public Service Commission’s decision on the application, expected in the first quarter of 2026. Approval will enable FirstEnergy to recover construction costs through regulated rates, a critical factor for the project’s financial viability and for the company’s broader capital‑allocation strategy.
Economic analysts project that the plant will create hundreds of construction jobs and generate significant tax revenue for West Virginia, aligning with Governor Jim Justice’s “50 by 50” initiative to attract energy‑intensive industries. FirstEnergy’s President and CEO Brian Tierney emphasized the project’s role in sustaining local employment and supporting the state’s long‑term economic growth, noting that the company plans to invest an additional $2.5 billion in West Virginia infrastructure pending regulatory approval.
The announcement signals FirstEnergy’s continued commitment to a cleaner fossil‑fuel strategy while expanding its regulated asset base. Although the project faces potential regulatory delays and environmental scrutiny, the planned capacity and strategic alignment with data‑center demand position the company to capture a growing market segment and strengthen its competitive stance in the PJM interconnection.
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