Wednesday afternoon, the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio voted to deny a request from FirstEnergy to change its minimum reliability standards related to power outages. This means the current standards will remain in place.
In a statement, the commission said:
The Commission order noted the significant amount of public outreach it received from customers, stakeholders, and local and state elected officials in opposition to the proposed standards.
The Commission also highlighted the utilities ongoing grid modernization efforts that are expected to improve system reliability, and the utilities’ ongoing commitment to improve service reliability in the Barberton and Lakewood communities following 2025 PUCO investigations into frequent power outages.
The PUCO uses two statistical measurements to monitor system-wide reliability for each electric distribution utility. The system average interruption frequency index (SAIFI) represents the average number of outages per customer annually. The customer average interruption duration index (CAIDI) represents the average length of time to restore power to customers in minutes.
FirstEnergy released the following statement Wednesday afternoon:
We respect the PUCO’s thoughtful decision and will continue operating under the existing reliability standards. Our commitment to customers has not changed: we remain focused on restoring power as quickly and safely as possible and making the investments needed to strengthen the grid and improve reliability across Ohio.
FirstEnergy was seeking changes that would have allowed longer restoration times and increased outage thresholds for customers each year.
The company argued that revisions were needed due to growing challenges, including Ohio’s severe weather, aging infrastructure, and tree-related damage beyond its control.
FirstEnergy first filed the application in 2024. The first evidentiary hearing on the issue took place this past February.
Currently, Cleveland Electric Illuminating’s System Average Interruption Frequency Index (SAIFI) is 1.13. The request would have left that number the same.
SAIFI is a utility metric that measures how often the average customer experiences a sustained power outage over a given period, typically a year.
The current SAIFI for Ohio Edison is 1.00. The request called for it to increase to 1.05.
The current SAIFI for Toledo Edison is 0.76. It would have increased to 0.81 under the request.
The Customer Average Interruption Duration Index (CAIDI) is a utility metric that measures the time required to restore power after an outage.
Currently, Cleveland Electric Illuminating’s CAIDI is 135.00 minutes. Under the request, it would have increased to 150.49 minutes.
For Ohio Edison, the CAIDI is currently 114.37 minutes and would have increased to 117.88 minutes under the request.
The CAIDI for Toledo Edison is currently 108.80 minutes and would have increased to 120.53 minutes.
Several communities, including Lakewood, that have been plagued by recent power outages pushed back on FirstEnergy’s request to revise its reliability standards.
Last year, Lakewood Mayor Meghan George wrote to PUCO, citing the financial and emotional stress that repeated power outages have had on residents.
Damon Maloney is a Cuyahoga County and We Follow Through anchor at News 5 Cleveland. Follow him on X @DMaloneyTV, on Facebook DamonMaloneyTV or email him at Damon.Maloney@wews.com.
