Exhibit 99.1


News Release

FirstEnergy Corp.
76 South Main Street
Akron, OH  44308
www.firstenergycorp.com

News Media Contact:                       Investor Relations Contact:
Ralph DiNicola                            Kurt Turosky
(330) 384-5939                            (330) 384-5500




                               FIRSTENERGY TO SELL
                       FOUR COAL-FIRED POWER PLANTS TO NRG

     FirstEnergy  Corp.  (NYSE:  FE)  announced  today  that it has  reached  an
agreement to sell four  coal-fired  power plants located along Lake Erie in Ohio
to NRG Energy,  Inc. (NYSE: NRG). The sale is expected to close mid-2002.  Under
terms of the agreement,  the  376-megawatt  (MW)  Ashtabula  Plant in Ashtabula,
648-MW Bay Shore  Plant in Oregon,  1,262-MW  Eastlake  Plant in  Eastlake,  and
249-MW Lake Shore Plant in Cleveland  will be sold for $1.5  billion.  Together,
the plants have a net generating capacity of 2,535 MW.

     Under the agreement, NRG will sell at established prices up to 10.5 million
megawatt-hours of electricity annually,  similar to the average annual output of
the plants,  to  FirstEnergy  through  2005,  the end of the market  development
period  under Ohio's  Electric  Choice Law.  The  transaction  is subject to the
receipt  of  necessary  regulatory  approvals,   including  those  of  the  U.S.
Securities and Exchange Commission and Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.

     FirstEnergy  President and Chief  Operating  Officer  Anthony J.  Alexander
said,  "This  transaction  is  consistent  with our supply  strategy  of meeting
customer  electricity  needs through a  combination  of our own  generation  and
short- and long-term power contracts. It also


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enables us to concentrate on our coal-fired generation along the Ohio River, our
nuclear  plants,  and our growing fleet of natural gas and other peaking plants.
And, it clearly  moves us closer to our goal of better  matching our  generating
capabilities with customer load profiles."

     Under the  agreement,  NRG will pay  FirstEnergy  $1.355  billion  in cash,
resulting in net after-tax proceeds of approximately $1 billion.  Also, NRG will
assume $145 million in debt associated with the plants. FirstEnergy will use the
proceeds for the  redemption of  higher-cost  debt and preferred  stock,  and/or
reinvestment  in the business.  The  transaction  is expected to be accretive to
earnings.

     "While we remain committed to the business of generating electricity," said
Mr.  Alexander,  "the sale of these plants will enhance our  financial  position
without affecting our ability to continue providing  customers with the reliable
and affordable electricity they expect and deserve."

     The portfolio of plants being sold - acquired from Centerior  Energy in the
1997 merger with Ohio Edison that created  FirstEnergy - was selected because of
similar  coal and  transportation  characteristics  and  because  the plants are
similarly located along the southern shore of Lake Erie.

     FirstEnergy has added some 900 MW of natural gas-fired generation in recent
years,  for a current total of owned or non-utility  generator  (NUG)-contracted
capacity of 14,862 MW. Already planned natural gas peaking  projects and uprates
at nuclear plants should add another 560 MW within the next several years.

     FirstEnergy  also will consider options for further  increasing  generating
capacity in the future,  including  purchasing or repowering existing facilities
and building new plants.  Decisions with respect to generation will be dependent
upon retail and wholesale developments and other market conditions.

     Morgan  Stanley is  serving as  financial  advisor to  FirstEnergy  on this
transaction.



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     FirstEnergy is a registered public utility holding company headquartered in
Akron,  Ohio. Its various  subsidiaries  produce more than $12 billion in annual
revenues and sell 124 billion  kilowatt-hours of electricity.  Other FirstEnergy
affiliates  are involved in the  exploration  and  production of oil and natural
gas,  marketing  of natural  gas,  and  energy-related  services.  FirstEnergy's
electric  utility  operating  companies - Ohio Edison,  The  Cleveland  Electric
Illuminating   Company  and  Toledo   Edison  in  Ohio;   Metropolitan   Edison,
Pennsylvania Electric and Pennsylvania Power in Pennsylvania; and Jersey Central
Power & Light - comprise the nation's  fourth  largest  investor-owned  electric
system, based on serving 4.3 million customers within a 32,100-square-mile  area
that stretches from the Ohio-Indiana border to the New Jersey shore.

     Additional  information  on  FirstEnergy's  transaction  with NRG Energy is
included in a November 30 letter  addressed to the investment  community,  which
will be posted on the investor  relations  home page at  FirstEnergy's  Internet
site: www.firstenergycorp.com/ir.

     Forward-Looking  Statements:  This news  release  includes  forward-looking
statements  based  on  information  currently  available  to  management.   Such
statements  are subject to certain  risks and  uncertainties.  These  statements
typically contain, but are not limited to, the terms "anticipate,"  "potential,"
"expect,"  "believe,"  "estimate," and similar words.  Actual results may differ
materially due to a number of factors  including,  but not limited to, the speed
and nature of regulatory approvals.


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