Cover and table of contents

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Cover and table of contents

UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-K/A

Amendment No.1

(Mark One)

☑ ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the FISCAL YEAR ended December 31, 2019

OR

☐ TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the transition period from ___________________ to ___________________

CommissionRegistrant; State of Incorporation;I.R.S. Employer
File NumberAddress; and Telephone NumberIdentification No.
333-21011FIRSTENERGY CORP34-1843785
(AnOhioCorporation)
76 South Main Street
AkronOH44308
Telephone(800)736-3402

SECURITIES REGISTERED PURSUANT TO SECTION 12(b) OF THE ACT:

Title of Each ClassTrading SymbolName of Each Exchange on Which Registered
Common Stock, $0.10 par value per shareFENew York Stock Exchange

SECURITIES REGISTERED PURSUANT TO SECTION 12(g) OF THE ACT:

None.

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act.

Yes☑No☐

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Act.

Yes☐No☑

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.

Yes☑No☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files).

Yes☑No☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company,” and "emerging growth company" in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

Large Accelerated Filer☑
Accelerated Filer☐
Non-accelerated Filer☐
Smaller Reporting Company☐
Emerging Growth Company☐

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Act).

Yes☐No☑

State the aggregate market value of the voting and non-voting common equity held by non-affiliates computed by reference to the price at which the common equity was last sold, or the average bid and ask price of such common equity, as of the last business day of the registrant’s most recently completed second fiscal quarter.

$22,724,895,037 as of June 30, 2019

Indicate the number of shares outstanding of each of the registrant’s classes of common stock, as of the latest practicable date:

CLASSAS OF JANUARY 31, 2020
Common Stock, $0.10 par value540,713,909

Documents Incorporated By Reference

PART OF FORM 10-K INTO WHICH
DOCUMENTDOCUMENT IS INCORPORATED
Proxy Statement for 2020 Annual Meeting of Shareholders of FirstEnergy Corp. to be held May 19, 2020Part III

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page
Explanatory Noteii
Glossary of Termsiii
Part II1
Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data1
Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm2
Financial Statements
Consolidated Statements of Income (Loss)4
Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income (Loss)5
Consolidated Balance Sheets6
Consolidated Statements of Stockholders' Equity7
Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows8
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements9
Item 9A. Controls and Procedures65
Part IV67
Item 15. Exhibits67

i

EXPLANATORY NOTE

On February 10, 2020, FirstEnergy Corp. (the “Company”) filed its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2019 (the “Original 10-K”). On November 18, 2020, subsequent to the issuance of the Original 10-K, Company management, in consultation with the Audit Committee of the Company’s Board of Directors, concluded that there was a material weakness in internal control over financial reporting that existed as of December 31, 2019, and continues to exist as of the end of the third quarter of 2020. A “material weakness” is a deficiency, or a combination of deficiencies, in internal control over financial reporting, such that there is a reasonable possibility that a material misstatement of the Company's annual or interim financial statements will not be prevented or detected on a timely basis.

A committee of independent members of the Board of Directors ("Board") is directing an internal investigation related to ongoing government investigations. In connection with the Company’s internal investigation, such committee determined that certain former members of senior management, including the Company’s former chief executive officer, violated certain Company policies and its code of conduct. Such former members of senior management did not maintain and promote a control environment with an appropriate tone of compliance in certain areas of FirstEnergy’s business, nor sufficiently promote, monitor or enforce adherence to certain FirstEnergy policies and its code of conduct. Furthermore, certain former members of senior management did not reasonably ensure that relevant information was communicated within our organization and not withheld from our independent directors, our Audit Committee, and our independent auditor. Among the matters considered with respect to the determination by the committee of independent members of the Board of Directors that certain former members of senior management violated certain FirstEnergy policies and its code of conduct related to a payment of approximately $4 million made in early 2019 in connection with the termination of a purported consulting agreement, as amended, which had been in place since 2013. The counterparty to such agreement was an entity associated with an individual who subsequently was appointed to a full-time role as an Ohio government official directly involved in regulating the Ohio Companies, including with respect to distribution rates. It has not been determined if the payments were for the purposes represented within the consulting agreement. The matter is a subject of the ongoing internal investigation related to the government investigations.

The Company is filing this Amendment No. 1 to Annual Report on Form 10-K/A (this “Amendment”) solely for the purpose of amending the Original 10-K to: (i) amend and restate the (a) disclosure in the section titled “Management’s Report on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting” and (b) report of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm, in each case, to reflect that the Company did not maintain, in all material respects, effective internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2019, and (ii) amend and restate the disclosure included in Item 9A. “Controls and Procedures,” to reflect the ineffective disclosure controls and procedures as a result of the material weakness. In addition, the Company included Note 18, "Subsequent Events", in Item 8 "Financial Statements And Supplementary Data".

As required by Rule 12b-15 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the Company’s principal executive officer and principal financial officer are providing new currently dated certifications. In addition, the Company is filing a new consent from PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP. Accordingly, this Amendment amends Item 15. “Exhibits, Financial Statement Schedules” in the Original 10-K to reflect the filing of the new certifications and consent. Other than the foregoing, there are no changes being made to the Original 10-K. In addition, except as specifically described above, this Amendment does not reflect events occurring after the filing of the Original 10-K, nor does it modify or update disclosures therein in any way. Among other things, risk factors and forward-looking statements made in the Original 10-K have not been revised to reflect events that occurred or facts that became known to us after the filing of the Original 10-K, and any such forward looking statements should be read in their historical context. Accordingly, this Amendment should be read in conjunction with the Company’s filings made with the Securities and Exchange Commission subsequent to the filings with the Original 10-K.

ii

GLOSSARY OF TERMS

The following abbreviations and acronyms are used in this report to identify FirstEnergy Corp. and its current and former subsidiaries:

AEAllegheny Energy, Inc., a Maryland utility holding company that merged with a subsidiary of FirstEnergy on February 25, 2011, which subsequently merged with and into FE on January 1, 2014
AESCAllegheny Energy Service Corporation, a subsidiary of FirstEnergy Corp.
AE SupplyAllegheny Energy Supply Company, LLC, an unregulated generation subsidiary
AGCAllegheny Generating Company, formerly a generation subsidiary of AE Supply that became a wholly owned subsidiary of MP in May 2018
ATSIAmerican Transmission Systems, Incorporated, formerly a direct subsidiary of FE that became a subsidiary of FET in April 2012, which owns and operates transmission facilities
BSPCBay Shore Power Company
CEIThe Cleveland Electric Illuminating Company, an Ohio electric utility operating subsidiary
CESCompetitive Energy Services, formerly a reportable operating segment of FirstEnergy
FEFirstEnergy Corp., a public utility holding company
FELHCFirstEnergy License Holding Company
FENOCFirstEnergy Nuclear Operating Company, a subsidiary of FE, which operates NG's nuclear generating facilities
FESFirstEnergy Solutions Corp., together with its consolidated subsidiaries, FG, NG, FE Aircraft Leasing Corp., Norton Energy Storage L.L.C., and FGMUC, which provides energy-related products and services
FES DebtorsFES and FENOC
FESCFirstEnergy Service Company, which provides legal, financial and other corporate support services
FETFirstEnergy Transmission, LLC, formerly known as Allegheny Energy Transmission, LLC, which is the parent of ATSI, MAIT and TrAIL, and has a joint venture in PATH
FEVFirstEnergy Ventures Corp., which invests in certain unregulated enterprises and business ventures
FGFirstEnergy Generation, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of FES, which owns and operates non-nuclear generating facilities
FGMUCFirstEnergy Generation Mansfield Unit 1 Corp., a wholly owned subsidiary of FG, which has certain leasehold interests in a portion of Unit 1 at the Bruce Mansfield plant
FirstEnergyFirstEnergy Corp., together with its consolidated subsidiaries
Global HoldingGlobal Mining Holding Company, LLC, a joint venture between FEV, WMB Marketing Ventures, LLC and Pinesdale LLC
Global RailGlobal Rail Group, LLC, a subsidiary of Global Holding that owns coal transportation operations near Roundup, Montana
GPUGPU, Inc., former parent of JCP&L, ME and PN, that merged with FE on November 7, 2001
GPUNGPU Nuclear, Inc., a subsidiary of FE, which operates TMI-2
JCP&LJersey Central Power & Light Company, a New Jersey electric utility operating subsidiary
MAITMid-Atlantic Interstate Transmission, LLC, a subsidiary of FET, which owns and operates transmission facilities
MEMetropolitan Edison Company, a Pennsylvania electric utility operating subsidiary
MPMonongahela Power Company, a West Virginia electric utility operating subsidiary
NGFirstEnergy Nuclear Generation, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of FES, which owns nuclear generating facilities
OEOhio Edison Company, an Ohio electric utility operating subsidiary
Ohio CompaniesCEI, OE and TE
PATHPotomac-Appalachian Transmission Highline, LLC, a joint venture between FE and a subsidiary of AEP
PATH-AlleghenyPATH Allegheny Transmission Company, LLC
PATH-WVPATH West Virginia Transmission Company, LLC
PEThe Potomac Edison Company, a Maryland and West Virginia electric utility operating subsidiary
PennPennsylvania Power Company, a Pennsylvania electric utility operating subsidiary of OE
Pennsylvania CompaniesME, PN, Penn and WP
PNPennsylvania Electric Company, a Pennsylvania electric utility operating subsidiary
Signal PeakSignal Peak Energy, LLC, an indirect subsidiary of Global Holding that owns mining operations near Roundup, Montana
TEThe Toledo Edison Company, an Ohio electric utility operating subsidiary
TrAILTrans-Allegheny Interstate Line Company, a subsidiary of FET, which owns and operates transmission facilities
Transmission CompaniesATSI, MAIT and TrAIL
UtilitiesOE, CEI, TE, Penn, JCP&L, ME, PN, MP, PE and WP
WPWest Penn Power Company, a Pennsylvania electric utility operating subsidiary

iii

The following abbreviations and acronyms are used to identify frequently used terms in this report:
ACEAffordable Clean EnergyDTADeferred Tax Asset
ADITAccumulated Deferred Income TaxesE&PEarnings and Profits
AEPAmerican Electric Power Company, Inc.EDCElectric Distribution Company
AFSAvailable-for-saleEDCPExecutive Deferred Compensation Plan
AFUDCAllowance for Funds Used During ConstructionEDISElectric Distribution Investment Surcharge
ALJAdministrative Law JudgeEE&CEnergy Efficiency and Conservation
AMTAlternative Minimum TaxEGSElectric Generation Supplier
ANIAmerican Nuclear InsurersEGUElectric Generation Units
AOCIAccumulated Other Comprehensive IncomeEmPOWER MarylandEmPOWER Maryland Energy Efficiency Act
AROAsset Retirement ObligationENECExpanded Net Energy Cost
ARPAlternative Revenue ProgramEPAUnited States Environmental Protection Agency
ASCAccounting Standard CodificationEPSEarnings per Share
ASUAccounting Standards UpdateEROElectric Reliability Organization
AYE DCDAllegheny Energy, Inc. Amended and Restated Revised Plan for Deferral of Compensation of DirectorsESOPEmployee Stock Ownership Plan
AYE Director's PlanAllegheny Energy, Inc. Non-Employee Director Stock PlanESP IVElectric Security Plan IV
Bankruptcy CourtU.S. Bankruptcy Court in the Northern District of Ohio in AkronFacebook®Facebook is a registered trademark of Facebook, Inc.
Bath CountyBath County Pumped Storage Hydro-Power StationFASBFinancial Accounting Standards Board
BGSBasic Generation ServiceFE TomorrowFirstEnergy's initiative launched in late 2016 to identify its optimal organizational structure and properly align corporate costs and systems to efficiently support a fully regulated company going forward
BNSFBNSF Railway CompanyFERCFederal Energy Regulatory Commission
bpsBasis pointsFES BankruptcyFES Debtors' voluntary petitions for bankruptcy protection under Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code with the Bankruptcy Court
CAAClean Air ActFitchFitch Ratings
CBACollective Bargaining AgreementFMBFirst Mortgage Bond
CCRCoal Combustion ResidualsFPAFederal Power Act
CERCLAComprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980FTRFinancial Transmission Right
CFLCompact Fluorescent LightGAAPAccounting Principles Generally Accepted in the United States of America
CFRCode of Federal RegulationsGHGGreenhouse Gases
CO2Carbon DioxideIBEWInternational Brotherhood of Electrical Workers
CPPEPA's Clean Power PlanICP 2007FirstEnergy Corp. 2007 Incentive Compensation Plan
CSAPRCross-State Air Pollution RuleICP 2015FirstEnergy Corp. 2015 Incentive Compensation Plan
CSXCSX Transportation, Inc.IIPInfrastructure Investment Program
CTAConsolidated Tax AdjustmentIRSInternal Revenue Service
CWAClean Water ActISOIndependent System Operator
D.C. CircuitUnited States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia CircuitJCP&L Reliability PlusJCP&L Reliability Plus IIP
DCPDDeferred Compensation Plan for Outside DirectorskVKilovolt
DCRDelivery Capital RecoveryKWHKilowatt-hour
DMRDistribution Modernization RiderLBRLittle Blue Run
DPMDistribution Platform ModernizationLEDLight Emitting Diode
DSICDistribution System Improvement ChargeLIBORLondon Interbank Offered Rate
DSPDefault Service PlanLOCLetter of Credit

iv

LS PowerLS Power Equity Partners III, LPPORPurchase of Receivables
LSELoad Serving EntityPPAPurchase Power Agreement
LTIIPsLong-Term Infrastructure Improvement PlansPPBParts per Billion
MDPSCMaryland Public Service CommissionPPUCPennsylvania Public Utility Commission
MGPManufactured Gas PlantsPUCOPublic Utilities Commission of Ohio
MISOMidcontinent Independent System Operator, Inc.PURPAPublic Utility Regulatory Policies Act of 1978
mmBTUOne Million British Thermal UnitsRCRAResource Conservation and Recovery Act
Moody’sMoody’s Investors Service, Inc.RECRenewable Energy Credit
MWMegawattRegulation FDRegulation Fair Disclosure promulgated by the SEC
MWHMegawatt-hourRFCReliabilityFirst Corporation
NAAQSNational Ambient Air Quality StandardsRFPRequest for Proposal
NAVNet Asset ValueRGGIRegional Greenhouse Gas Initiative
NDTNuclear Decommissioning TrustROEReturn on Equity
NEILNuclear Electric Insurance LimitedRSSRich Site Summary
NERCNorth American Electric Reliability CorporationRSURestricted Stock Unit
NJBPUNew Jersey Board of Public UtilitiesRTEPRegional Transmission Expansion Plan
NMBNon-Market BasedRTORegional Transmission Organization
NOLNet Operating LossS&PStandard & Poor’s Ratings Service
NOxNitrogen OxideSBCSocietal Benefits Charge
NPDESNational Pollutant Discharge Elimination SystemSCOHSupreme Court of Ohio
NRCNuclear Regulatory CommissionSECUnited States Securities and Exchange Commission
NSRNew Source ReviewSIPState Implementation Plan(s) Under the Clean Air Act
NUGNon-Utility GenerationSO2Sulfur Dioxide
NYPSCNew York State Public Service CommissionSOSStandard Offer Service
OCAOffice of Consumer AdvocateSPESpecial Purpose Entity
OCCOhio Consumers' CounselSRECSolar Renewable Energy Credit
OEPAOhio Environmental Protection AgencySSOStandard Service Offer
OMAEGOhio Manufacturers' Association Energy GroupSVCStatic Var Compensator
OPEBOther Post-Employment BenefitsTax ActTax Cuts and Jobs Act adopted December 22, 2017
OPEIUOffice and Professional Employees International UnionTMI-2Three Mile Island Unit 2
OPICOther Paid-in CapitalTwitter®Twitter is a registered trademark of Twitter, Inc.
OSHAOccupational Safety and Health AdministrationUCCOfficial committee of unsecured creditors appointed in connection with the FES Bankruptcy
OVECOhio Valley Electric CorporationUWUAUtility Workers Union of America
PA DEPPennsylvania Department of Environmental ProtectionVEPCOVirginia Electric and Power Company
PCRBPollution Control Revenue BondVIEVariable Interest Entity
PJMPJM Interconnection, L.L.C.VMSVegetation Management Surcharge
PJM RegionThe aggregate of the zones within PJMVSCCVirginia State Corporation Commission
PJM TariffPJM Open Access Transmission TariffWVPSCPublic Service Commission of West Virginia
POLRProvider of Last Resort

v

PART II

Next: Item 8. FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTARY DATA