AKRON, Ohio _ FirstEnergy Corp. will eliminate 205 jobs in its nuclear operating subsidiary as the final part of a previously announced reorganization.
The cuts at three plants _ which represent about 7 percent of the subsidiary's work force _ are part of a plan to improve safety and efficiency, a spokesman for the electric utility said Tuesday.
But critics expressed concern about safety. Two Ohio plants have been under federal scrutiny.
U.S. Rep. Dennis Kucinich, D-Ohio, a longtime FirstEnergy critic, said the cuts were "all about protecting corporate profits" and he plans to file a challenge with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
FirstEnergy spokesman Todd Schneider said the reorganization is designed to coordinate three nuclear operations to upgrade overall performance.
"This reorganization is not driven by costs," Schneider said. He said he had no figures available on how much the job cuts might save the company.
The reorganization plans were announced in June by Gary Leidich, president of FirstEnergy Nuclear Operating Co. They called for fewer directors at the plants and a larger management role at the Akron headquarters. The number of job cuts were announced Monday.
"He saw we could be more efficient, that we could improve our operation and also improve our number one priority of safety by reorganizing our three plants," Schneider said.
The Perry plant in northeastern Ohio is losing 55 employees, the Davis-Besse plant in northwestern Ohio is losing 35 and the Beaver Valley plant in Pennsylvania is losing 29, Schneider said. One nuclear job at the headquarters will be eliminated.
The nonunion job cuts, including managers and supervisors, are from almost all departments, including engineering, operations and work management, he said.
An additional 85 employees will be let go when their assignments are finished.
"This is further proof that FirstEnergy cannot protect the public interest," Kucinich said by phone from Washington, D.C., referring to safety issues in a two-year shutdown at Davis-Besse and increased NRC scrutiny of the Perry plant. "They have no business laying off anyone."
Chris Trepal, executive director of the Earth Day Coalition environmental group in Cleveland, said the cuts raise her concerns.
"We've got to make sure this is not going to affect safety operations," she said.
In 2002, inspectors found corrosion on the reactor vessel at the Davis-Besse plant, where leaking boric acid had eaten almost through a 6-inch-thick steel cap. The utility spent $600 million making repairs and buying replacement power.
The corrosion was the most extensive ever found at a U.S. nuclear reactor and led to a review of 68 similar plants nationwide. NRC officials blamed plant operators for allowing a breakdown in safety standards, but in March the agency said the plant can operate.
The NRC in June said the Perry plant would be under scrutiny because of equipment breakdowns and other safety issues.
The NRC doesn't regulate employment numbers but was notified of the planned job cuts, agency spokesman Jan Strasma said.
"Employment numbers do not necessarily translate into better performance," Strasma said. "If we see a decline in performance because of these jobs cuts we will take the necessary action."
When the job cuts are completed, the nuclear subsidiary will have 2,630 employees. FirstEnergy currently employs about 14,000 overall, Schneider said.
David Lochbaum, nuclear safety engineer for the Union of Concerned Scientists, said he was encouraged that the NRC plans to monitor safety performance.
"Davis-Besse got into trouble because things got bad over time and both the company and NRC didn't realize it," he said. "If it (job cutting) has to happen, the fact that it happens with increased NRC presence at Davis-Besse and Perry is a good thing."
FirstEnergy, the nation's fourth-largest investor-owned utility, has 16 power plants and annual revenue of more than $12 billion. It provides service in an area from Ohio to New Jersey.
FirstEnergy shares on the New York Stock Exchange closed up 27 cents Tuesday to $39.90.
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