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FY2025 Q4
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FirstEnergy Corp. earnings call
Buzzberg read
Capital plan increased to $36B, up 30%
FirstEnergy delivered strong 2025 results (core EPS of $2.55) and announced a significantly increased $36B five-year capital plan focused on grid resilience, transmission, and a new gas plant in West Virginia. Management expressed high confidence in achieving near-top-end EPS growth, with incremental upside identified from additional generation and PJM transmission awards. Core EPS of $2.55 for 2025 came in at the top end of guidance, driven by base rate cases and higher demand.
Buzzberg read Capital plan increased to $36B, up 30% FirstEnergy delivered strong 2025 results (core EPS of $2.55) and announced a significantly increased $36B five-year capital plan focused on grid resilience, transmission, and a new gas plant in West Virginia. Management expressed high confidence in achieving near-top-end EPS growth, with incremental upside identified from additional generation and PJM transmission awards. Core EPS of $2.55 for 2025 came in at the top end of guidance, driven by base rate cases and higher demand. Read full analysisCollapse analysis
FirstEnergy delivered strong 2025 results (core EPS of $2.55) and announced a significantly increased $36B five-year capital plan focused on grid resilience, transmission, and a new gas plant in West Virginia. Management expressed high confidence in achieving near-top-end EPS growth, with incremental upside identified from additional generation and PJM transmission awards. Core EPS of $2.55 for 2025 came in at the top end of guidance, driven by base rate cases and higher demand.
- Announced a $36 billion capex plan (2026-2030), a ~30% increase, targeting 10% rate base growth.
- Filed for a 1.2GW natural gas plant in West Virginia ($2.5B), with plans for more if approved, reflecting strong state support.
- Expects the upcoming 2026 PJM open window to be similar in scale to past years, with awards in Q1 2027 providing further upside.
Revenue$3.797BReported
EPS$0.53Reported
Gross margin25.68%Reported
Operating margin15.88%Reported
6 grounded callouts
What matters now
The highest-signal changes from the call.
Generation
Seeking incremental generation in West Virginia
Capex
Transmission investment increased 35%
Show 3 more callouts
Guidance
EPS growth near top end of 6-8%
Financing
Plans modest equity issuance of ~1%
Affordability
Bills to remain below peer average
Reported period
Actuals
| Metric | Reported | Change |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue | $3.797B | Reported |
| EPS | $0.53 | Reported |
| Gross margin | 25.68% | Reported |
| Operating margin | 15.88% | Reported |
| Free cash flow | $-0.03B | Reported |
| Capex | $1.166B | Reported |
Forward-looking
Forward guidance
| Metric | Period | Range | Midpoint | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Capex | FY2030 | $36B | $36B | Initiated |
| EPS | FY2030 | $6.00–$8.00 | $7.00 | Maintained |
AI, capex & demand read
Management read
Upbeat
Management expresses strong confidence in the company's execution, growth plan, and future opportunities, highlighted by the significant capital program increase and positive regulatory outlook.
Investment and capacity
FirstEnergy announced a $36 billion five-year capital investment program, a nearly 30% increase from the previous plan, focused on customer reliability and grid resiliency, with $19 billion in transmission investments and significant distribution increases, which is expected to drive 10% rate base growth.
all 3 named companies below
Companiesreturns since call
Suppliers
Suppliers
Brian Tierney
FirstEnergy is building a long-term relationship with Siemens for turbine supply, positioning Siemens for potential follow-on orders in West Virginia.
Evidence
“The relationships that we're beginning now with suppliers like Siemens on the turbine side, in terms of what we're doing with the first EPC that we're going forward”
Supply chain
Supply chain
Brian Tierney
FirstEnergy was awarded roughly $5 billion in PJM competitive transmission projects since 2022, and expects the 2026 open window solicitation to be similar in scope, with board approval anticipated in Q1 2027. This signals continued, high-value transmission spend for the region. — Continued PJM transmission awards drive sustained congestion relief, but also highlight the ongoing need for grid buildout, potentially impacting merchant generation economics and other regional T&D players.
Evidence
“Since 2022, our standalone transmission and integrated segments have been awarded approximately $5 billion in competitive transmission projects.”
Supply chain
Brian Tierney
FirstEnergy sees a clear path to up to 4 additional 1.2 GW natural gas plants in West Virginia to serve data center load, contingent on PSC approval of the first unit. This signals the potential for a significant increase in firm gas demand in the region. — Each additional 1.2GW plant represents a substantial new demand source for Appalachian natural gas producers, supporting long-term gas takeaway and pricing, but also raises questions about gas infrastructure buildout.
Evidence
“We will seek to add additional generation in the state to support growing data center activity.”
External signals
Supply-chain alpha · 3returns since call
FirstEnergy was awarded roughly $5 billion in PJM competitive transmission projects since 2022, and expects the 2026 open window solicitation to be similar in scope, with board approval anticipated in Q1 2027. This signals continued, high-value transmission spend for the region.
FirstEnergy sees a clear path to up to 4 additional 1.2 GW natural gas plants in West Virginia to serve data center load, contingent on PSC approval of the first unit. This signals the potential for a significant increase in firm gas demand in the region.
Management notes that 60% of customer bills in deregulated states is the generation component, and they are advocating for extending/altering PJM Capacity Auction rules to address price spikes. This highlights that the market is failing to signal scarcity and new entry.
Evidence
“We are advocating for initiatives to ensure generation supply better aligns with customer demand”
Methodology & coverage
Management-only analysis. All 3 validated company mentions are shown. Reported actuals and forward guidance are kept separate. Public evidence is limited to eight short attributed quotes. AI-generated analysis can be incomplete or wrong; verify important claims against the original source.