Exhibit 99

FirstEnergy Corp.                            For Release:  April 17, 2000
76 South Main Street
Akron, Ohio  44308
www.firstenergycorp.com

News Media Contact:
Ralph J. DiNicola
330-384-5939


          FirstEnergy Corp. (NYSE: FE) today announced that it has
reached a stipulated agreement with major parties to the transition
filing it made last December under Ohio's new electricity restructuring
legislation. In addition to FirstEnergy's Ohio electric utility operating
companies - Ohio Edison, The Illuminating Company and Toledo Edison -
parties recommending approval to the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio
(PUCO) include the staff of the PUCO, the Ohio Consumers' Counsel, the
Industrial Energy Users-Ohio, Ohio Council of Retail Merchants, Shell
Energy Services Company, L.L.C., AK Steel Corporation, Kroger Company,
Cleveland Housing Network, Ohio Hospital Association, Consumers League of
Ohio, Neighborhood Housing Services of Toledo, Ashtabula County Community
Action Agency, and Corporation for Ohio Appalachia Development.

          H. Peter Burg, FirstEnergy chairman and chief executive
officer, said, "This agreement represents a tough, but fair, compromise
by the parties. It provides customers with additional savings and choice
regarding their electricity supplier, and us with the opportunity to
recover our transition costs."

          Major provisions of the agreement include recovery of
transition costs for Ohio Edison through 2006, for Toledo Edison through
mid-2007, and for The Illuminating Company through 2008. Rate programs
for those companies will be extended through December 31, 2007, and
FirstEnergy will make 1,120 megawatts of generating capacity available
through 2005 to marketers, brokers and aggregators at established prices
for sales to the company's retail customers.

          FirstEnergy is a diversified energy services holding company
with more than $18 billion in assets and more than $6 billion in annual
revenues. FirstEnergy's electric utility operating companies comprise the
nation's 10th largest electric system, serving 2.2 million electric
customers in Ohio and Pennsylvania. FirstEnergy also serves commercial
and industrial customers in the deregulated energy markets of Delaware,
New Jersey and Pennsylvania. FirstEnergy also is licensed to sell
electricity in Maryland and will begin serving customers there this year.

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