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ASSET RETIREMENT OBLIGATIONS
6 Months Ended
Jun. 30, 2026
Asset Retirement Obligation Disclosure [Abstract]  
ASSET RETIREMENT OBLIGATIONS ASSET RETIREMENT OBLIGATIONS
The disclosures in this note apply to both Registrants, unless indicated otherwise.

The Registrants recognize an ARO for their legal obligation to perform asset retirement activities associated with their long-lived assets. The ARO liability represents an estimate of the fair value of the Registrants’ current obligation such that the ARO is accreted monthly to reflect the time value of money.

A fair value measurement inherently involves uncertainty in the amount and timing of settlement of the liability. An expected cash flow approach is used to measure the fair value of the remediation AROs, taking into account the expected timing of settlement of the ARO based on the expected economic useful life of associated assets and/or regulatory requirements. The fair value of an ARO is recognized in the period in which it is incurred. The associated asset retirement costs are capitalized as part of the carrying value of the long-lived asset and are depreciated over the life of the related asset. For instances where asset retirement costs relate to assets that have no future cash flows, the costs are recorded as an operating expense. In certain circumstances, the Registrants recover asset retirement costs and, as such, certain accretion and depreciation is offset against regulatory assets. Conditional retirement obligations associated with tangible long-lived assets are recognized at fair value in the period in which they are incurred if a reasonable estimate can be made, even though there may be uncertainty about timing or method of settlement. When settlement is conditional on a future event occurring, it is reflected in the measurement of the liability, not the timing of the liability recognition.

FirstEnergy has recognized applicable legal obligations for AROs and their associated costs, including reclamation of sludge disposal ponds, closure of CCR sites, underground and above-ground storage tanks and wastewater treatment lagoons. In
addition, the Registrants have recognized conditional retirement obligations, primarily for asbestos remediation.

The following table summarizes the changes to the ARO balances as of June 30, 2026, and December 31, 2025.
FirstEnergy JCP&L
(In millions)
Balance, January 1, 2025
$455 $
Changes in timing and amount of estimated cash flows (51)— 
Liabilities incurred— 
Liabilities settled (1)
(154)— 
Accretion26 — 
Balance, December 31, 2025
$277 $
Changes in timing and amount of estimated cash flows (10)— 
Liabilities settled
(1)— 
Accretion12 — 
Balance, June 30, 2026
$278 $
(1) FirstEnergy amounts include the transfer of the McElroy’s Run CCR impoundment facility as well as the adjacent dry landfill and related remediation obligations to a subsidiary of IDA Power, LLC.

AE Supply transferred the McElroy’s Run CCR impoundment facility and adjacent dry landfill and related remediation obligations on March 4, 2025, pursuant to the environmental liability transfer agreement dated February 3, 2025, with a subsidiary of IDA Power, LLC. Pursuant to the agreement, AE Supply established a $160 million escrow account that AE Supply will fund over five years and is secured by a surety bond, which is guaranteed by FE. In connection with the transfer, AE Supply recognized a $130 million liability in 2024, based on a 4.8% weighted average discount rate over the contract term, associated with its remaining obligation to fund the escrow account over the next five years, and derecognized the ARO, resulting in an immaterial impact to earnings. As of June 30, 2026, AE Supply has made cumulative cash payments of $68 million to the escrow account since the transfer in 2025.
During 2025 and the second quarter of 2026, FirstEnergy completed engineering studies and field analysis for certain of its legacy CCR disposal sites and determined that certain of those sites did not meet criteria to be applicable to the CCR rules. As a result, during the second quarter of 2026, FirstEnergy recorded a $10 million decrease to its ARO, all of which is included in "Other operating expenses" on the Consolidated Statements of Income and was not capitalized as an asset retirement cost since the associated electric generation facilities are closed. See Note 10., “Commitments, Guarantees, and Contingencies - Regulation of Waste Disposal,” of the Combined Notes to Financial Statements of the Registrants.