8-K

                                  UNITED STATES
                       SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
                             Washington, D. C. 20549

                                    FORM 8-K

                                 CURRENT REPORT

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

         Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported) March 8, 2004


Commission            Registrant; State of Incorporation;     I.R.S. Employer
File Number            Address; and Telephone Number         Identification No.
- -----------   -------------------------------------------    ------------------

333-21011     FIRSTENERGY CORP.                                 34-1843785
              (An Ohio Corporation)
              76 South Main Street
              Akron, OH  44308
              Telephone (800)736-3402

1-2323        THE CLEVELAND ELECTRIC ILLUMINATING COMPANY       34-0150020
              (An Ohio Corporation)
              c/o FirstEnergy Corp.
              76 South Main Street
              Akron, OH  44308
              Telephone (800)736-3402

1-3583        THE TOLEDO EDISON COMPANY                         34-4375005
              (An Ohio Corporation)
              c/o FirstEnergy Corp.
              76 South Main Street
              Akron, OH  44308
              Telephone (800)736-3402









Item 5.  Other Events

           On March 8, 2004, FirstEnergy Nuclear Operating Company (FENOC), a
wholly owned subsidiary of FirstEnergy Corp., announced that the Davis-Besse
Nuclear Power Station has begun the first of a series of steps to safely restart
the plant's reactor after an extended outage to replace the reactor head and
make other equipment and performance improvements. The startup activities began
after FENOC officials today received authorization to restart the plant from the
Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). FENOC formally requested startup
authorization at the February 12, 2004, NRC 0350 panel meeting in Port Clinton,
Ohio. FENOC executives stated that plant personnel had completed the major
actions necessary to return Davis-Besse to safe and reliable service.

           The plant will be restarted in a deliberate and controlled manner,
with reactor operators incrementally increasing reactor power, stopping at the
50-percent and 100-percent power levels to test equipment and assess operational
performance. Also, post-restart assessments will be conducted two weeks and one
month after the plant reaches 100-percent power. Operators expect to reach full
power within two weeks.

           The NRC granted restart authorization in an order containing several
commitments for Davis-Besse. Those requirements include ongoing independent
assessments of the site's operational performance, safety culture and safety
conscious work environment, and corrective action and engineering programs for
five years, as well as visual inspection of the reactor head and lower vessel
during the plant's mid-cycle outage, slated in about one year. The Davis-Besse
Nuclear Power Station is owned 51.38% by The Cleveland Electric Illuminating
Company and 48.62% by The Toledo Edison Company.

         A copy of the press release is attached as Exhibit 99 hereto and is
incorporated by reference.

Item 7.  Financial Statements, Pro Forma Financial Statements and Exhibits
(c) Exhibits.

Exhibit No.            Description
- -----------            -----------

    99            Press Release issued by FENOC, dated March 8, 2004



         Forward-Looking Statement: This Form 8-K 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," "expect,"
"believe," "estimate," and similar words. Actual results may differ materially
due to the speed and nature of increased competition and deregulation in the
electric utility industry, economic or weather conditions affecting future sales
and margins, changes in markets for energy services, changing energy and
commodity market prices, replacement power costs being higher than anticipated
or inadequately hedged, maintenance costs being higher than anticipated,
legislative and regulatory changes (including revised environmental
requirements), adverse regulatory or legal decisions and the outcome of
governmental investigations, availability and cost of capital, the continuing
availability and operation of generating units, the inability to accomplish or
realize anticipated benefits of strategic goals, the ability to improve electric
commodity margins and to experience growth in the distribution business, the
ability to access the public securities markets, further investigation into the
causes of the August 14, 2003 regional power outage and the outcome, cost and
other effects of present and potential legal and administrative proceedings and
claims related to that outage, a denial of or material change to the Company's
Application related to its Rate Stabilization Plan, and other factors discussed
from time to time in FirstEnergy's Securities and Exchange Commission filings,
including its annual report on Form 10-K (as amended) for the year ended
December 31, 2002, its Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2003 and
under "Risk Factors" in the Prospectus Supplement dated September 12, 2003 to
the Prospectus dated August 29, 2003 (which was part of the Registration
Statement-SEC File No. 333-103865) and other similar factors. FirstEnergy
expressly disclaims any current intention to update any forward-looking
statements contained in this document as a result of new information, future
events, or otherwise.


                                      1







                                    SIGNATURE



             Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of
1934, each Registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by
the undersigned thereunto duly authorized.



March 8, 2004



                                       FIRSTENERGY CORP.
                                       -----------------
                                          Registrant


                                    THE CLEVELAND ELECTRIC
                                    ----------------------
                                     ILLUMINATING COMPANY
                                     --------------------
                                          Registrant


                                  THE TOLEDO EDISON COMPANY
                                  -------------------------
                                          Registrant









                                   /s/  Harvey L. Wagner
                         ------------------------------------------------
                                        Harvey L. Wagner
                                       Vice President, Controller
                                  and Chief Accounting Officer



                                      2

EX-99

                                                                 EXHIBIT 99

FirstEnergy Nuclear Operating Company                  For Immediate Release
5501 N. State Route 2
Oak Harbor, Ohio 43449
www.firstenergycorp.com

News Media Contact:
Todd Schneider
(330) 620-2895


                          DAVIS-BESSE RESTART UNDER WAY

         FirstEnergy Corp. (NYSE: FE) subsidiary FirstEnergy Nuclear Operating
Company (FENOC) announced today that the Davis-Besse Nuclear Power Station has
begun the first of a series of steps to safely restart the plant's reactor after
an extended outage to replace the reactor head and make other equipment and
performance improvements.

         The startup activities began after FENOC officials today received
authorization to restart the plant from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC).
FENOC formally requested startup authorization at the February 12, 2004, NRC
0350 panel meeting in Port Clinton, Ohio. FENOC executives stated that plant
personnel had completed the major actions necessary to return Davis-Besse to
safe and reliable service.

         "We are fully committed to operating this plant safely and reliably,"
said FENOC President and Chief Nuclear Officer Gary R. Leidich. "We have the
plant in excellent operating condition, well-trained employees and new and
enhanced programs to help ensure continued safe, reliable operation."

         The plant will be restarted in a deliberate and controlled manner, with
reactor operators incrementally increasing reactor power, stopping at the
50-percent and 100-percent power levels to test equipment and assess operational
performance. Also, post-restart assessments will be conducted two weeks and one
month after the plant reaches 100-percent power. Operators expect to reach full
power within two weeks.

                                     (more)

                                       3






         Davis-Besse's restart follows completion of thousands of activities
conducted since the plant shut down for refueling in 2002. Many steps have been
taken to strengthen the management team, and help ensure continuous improvement
in the plant's performance and the overall safety culture.

         Plant improvements included expansion of the Containment Emergency Sump
strainers from 50 square feet to 1,200 square feet; installation of a
state-of-the-art leak monitoring system on the reactor bottom; refurbishment of
the Containment Air Coolers; stripping and painting of the Containment Vessel
dome; and modification of the two High Pressure Injection Pumps.

         To help ensure continued improvement in nuclear safety and plant
operations, FENOC established a long-term Operational Improvement Plan, which
provides for such actions as focused self-assessments, benchmarking, using FENOC
common practices, improving standards, and reducing maintenance backlog.

         Also, numerous programs were enhanced to meet or, in many cases, exceed
regulatory and industry standards. They include the Corrective Action, Boric
Acid Corrosion Control, Employee Concerns, Operating Experience, and Radiation
Protection programs.

         In the area of human performance and safety culture, the FENOC and
Davis-Besse organizations were restructured with a new management team, and
employees were trained in such areas as meeting standards, adhering to
procedures, and identifying and reporting safety issues. Also, numerous
assessments and surveys were conducted to evaluate and improve safety culture.

         Leidich described Davis-Besse's renewed focus on nuclear safety as a
"relentless commitment that permeates all areas of the corporation - from the
Davis-Besse control room to the FirstEnergy headquarters in Akron."

         The NRC granted restart authorization in an order containing several
commitments by Davis-Besse. Those requirements include ongoing independent
assessments of the site's operational performance, safety culture and safety
conscious.

                                     (more)

                                     4



work environment, and corrective action and engineering programs for five years,
as well as visual inspection of the reactor head and lower vessel during the
plant's mid-cycle outage, slated in about one year.

         Over the past two years, the restart activities were monitored and
evaluated by three independent oversight organizations, in addition to the NRC.
These included FENOC Oversight, which reports directly to the President of FENOC
and provides monthly updates to the Nuclear Committee of the FirstEnergy Board
of Directors; the Company Nuclear Review Board (CNRB), composed of nuclear
industry experts from other plants and nuclear consulting firms; and the Restart
Overview Panel (ROP), composed of industry experts, retired NRC officials and a
representative from the Ottawa County government. To help ensure continuous,
long-term improvement in Davis-Besse operational and safety performance and to
support the plant's fulfillment of NRC requirements, the Nuclear Quality
Assurance and the CNRB, which now includes some members of the ROP, will provide
ongoing oversight.

         FirstEnergy Corp. is a registered public utility holding company
headquartered in Akron, Ohio.



Forward-Looking Statement: 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," "expect," "believe," "estimate,"
and similar words. Actual results may differ materially due to the speed and
nature of increased competition and deregulation in the electric utility
industry, economic or weather conditions affecting future sales and margins,
changes in markets for energy services, changing energy and commodity market
prices, replacement power costs being higher than anticipated or inadequately
hedged, maintenance costs being higher than anticipated, legislative and
regulatory changes (including revised environmental requirements), adverse
regulatory or legal decisions and the outcome of governmental investigations,
availability and cost of capital, the continuing availability and operation of
generating units, the inability to accomplish or realize anticipated benefits of
strategic goals, the ability to improve electric commodity margins and to
experience growth in the distribution business, the ability to access the public
securities markets, further investigation into the causes of the August 14, 2003
regional power outage and the outcome, cost and other effects of present and
potential legal and administrative proceedings and claims related to that
outage, a denial of or material change to the Company's Application related to
its Rate Stabilization Plan, and other factors discussed from time to time in
FirstEnergy's Securities and Exchange Commission filings, including its annual
report on Form 10-K (as amended) for the year ended December 31, 2002, its Form
10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2003 and under "Risk Factors" in the
Prospectus Supplement dated September 12, 2003 to the Prospectus dated August
29, 2003 (which was part of the Registration Statement-SEC File No. 333-103865)
and other similar factors. FirstEnergy expressly disclaims any current intention
to update any forward-looking statements contained in this document as a result
of new information, future events, or otherwise.

                                    (030804)



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