VARIABLE INTEREST ENTITIES

FirstEnergy performs qualitative analyses to determine whether a variable interest gives FirstEnergy a controlling financial interest in a VIE. This analysis identifies the primary beneficiary of a VIE as the enterprise that has both the power to direct the activities of a VIE that most significantly impact the entity’s economic performance and the obligation to absorb losses of the entity that could potentially be significant to the VIE or the right to receive benefits from the entity that could potentially be significant to the VIE. FE and its subsidiaries consolidate a VIE when it is determined that it is the primary beneficiary.

VIEs included in FirstEnergy’s consolidated financial statements for the second quarter of 2012 are: the PNBV and Shippingport capital trusts that were created to refinance debt originally issued in connection with sale and leaseback transactions; wholly owned limited liability companies of JCP&L created to sell transition bonds to securitize the recovery of JCP&L’s bondable stranded costs associated with the previously divested Oyster Creek Nuclear Generating Station and JCP&L's supply of BGS, of which $262 million was outstanding as of June 30, 2012; and special purpose limited liabilities companies of MP and PE created to issue environmental control bonds that were used to construct environmental control facilities, of which $503 million was outstanding as of June 30, 2012.

The caption noncontrolling interest within the consolidated financial statements is used to reflect the portion of a VIE that FirstEnergy consolidates, but does not own. The change in noncontrolling interest within the Consolidated Balance Sheets during the six months ended June 30, 2012, was primarily due to net income attributable to noncontrolling interests of $1 million, offset by a $5 million distribution to owners.

In order to evaluate contracts for consolidation treatment and entities for which FirstEnergy has an interest, FirstEnergy aggregated variable interests into the following categories based on similar risk characteristics and significance.

Mining Operations

On October 18, 2011, a subsidiary of Gunvor Group, Ltd. purchased a one-third interest in the Signal Peak joint venture in which FEV held a 50% interest. FEV retained a 33-1/3% equity ownership in the joint venture. Prior to the sale, FirstEnergy consolidated this joint venture since FEV was determined to be the primary beneficiary of the VIE. As a result of the sale, FEV was no longer determined to be the primary beneficiary and its retained 33-1/3% interest is subsequently accounted for using the equity method of accounting.

PATH-WV

PATH was formed to construct, through its operating companies, the PATH Project, which is a high-voltage transmission line that was proposed to extend from West Virginia through Virginia and into Maryland, including modifications to an existing substation in Putnam County, West Virginia, and the construction of new substations in Hardy County, West Virginia and Frederick County, Maryland as directed by PJM. PATH is a series limited liability company that is comprised of multiple series, each of which has separate rights, powers and duties regarding specified property and the series profits and losses associated with such property. A subsidiary of AE owns 100% of the Allegheny Series (PATH-Allegheny) and 50% of the West Virginia Series (PATH-WV), which is a joint venture with a subsidiary of AEP. FirstEnergy is not the primary beneficiary of PATH-WV, as it does not have control over the significant activities affecting the economics of the portion of the PATH Project to be constructed by PATH-WV.

Because of the nature of PATH-WV’s operations and its FERC approved rate mechanism, FirstEnergy’s maximum exposure to loss, through AE, consists of its equity investment in PATH-WV, which was $31 million as of June 30, 2012.

Power Purchase Agreements

FirstEnergy evaluated its power purchase agreements and determined that certain NUG entities may be VIEs to the extent that they own a plant that sells substantially all of its output to the applicable utilities if the contract price for power is correlated with the plant’s variable costs of production. FirstEnergy, through its subsidiaries JCP&L, ME, PN, PE, WP and MP, maintains 21 long-term power purchase agreements with NUG entities that were entered into pursuant to PURPA. FirstEnergy was not involved in the creation of, and has no equity or debt invested in, these entities.

FirstEnergy has determined that for all but three of these NUG entities, its subsidiaries do not have variable interests in the entities or the entities do not meet the criteria to be considered a VIE. JCP&L, PE and WP may hold variable interests in the remaining three entities; however, FirstEnergy applied the scope exception that exempts enterprises unable to obtain the necessary information to evaluate entities. One of JCP&L's NUG contracts, to which the scope exception was applied, expired during 2011.

Because JCP&L, PE and WP have no equity or debt interests in the NUG entities, their maximum exposure to loss relates primarily to the above-market costs incurred for power. FirstEnergy expects any above-market costs incurred by its subsidiaries to be recovered from customers, except as described further below. Purchased power costs related to the three contracts that may contain a variable interest that were held by FirstEnergy subsidiaries during the three months ended June 30, 2012, were $14 million, $27 million and $17 million for JCP&L, PE and WP, respectively and $26 million, $59 million and $33 million for the six months ended June 30, 2012, respectively. Purchased power costs related to the four contracts that may contain a variable interest that were held by JCP&L, PE and WP, respectively, during the three months ended June 30, 2011, were $55 million, $47 million, and $21 million, respectively and $120 million, $58 million and $26 million for the six months ended June 30, 2011, respectively.

In 1998 the PPUC issued an order approving a transition plan for WP that disallowed certain costs, including an estimated amount for an adverse power purchase commitment related to the NUG entity wherein WP may hold a variable interest, for which WP has taken the scope exception. As of June 30, 2012, WP’s reserve for this adverse purchase power commitment was $48 million, including a current liability of $11 million, and is being amortized over the life of the commitment.

Loss Contingencies

FirstEnergy has variable interests in certain sale and leaseback transactions. FirstEnergy is not the primary beneficiary of these interests as it does not have control over the significant activities affecting the economics of the arrangement.

FES, OE and other FE subsidiaries are exposed to losses under their applicable sale and leaseback agreements upon the occurrence of certain contingent events. The maximum exposure under these provisions represents the net amount of casualty value payments due upon the occurrence of specified casualty events. Net discounted lease payments would not be payable if the casualty loss payments were made. The following table discloses each company’s net exposure to loss based upon the casualty value provisions mentioned above as of June 30, 2012:



	Maximum Exposure		Discounted Lease Payments, net⁽¹⁾		Net Exposure
	(In millions)
FES	$	1,318	$	1,111	$	207
OE	574		384		190
Other FE subsidiaries	599		333		266


⁽¹⁾	The net present value of FirstEnergy’s consolidated sale and leaseback operating lease commitments is $1.5 billion.