Exhibit 31.1

                                  Certification



I, Anthony J. Alexander, certify that:

1.   I have reviewed this annual report on Form 10-K of FirstEnergy Corp., Ohio
     Edison Company, The Cleveland Electric Illuminating Company, The Toledo
     Edison Company, Pennsylvania Power Company, Metropolitan Edison Company and
     Pennsylvania Electric Company;

2.   Based on my knowledge, this annual report does not contain any untrue
     statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to
     make the statements made, in light of the circumstances under which such
     statements were made, not misleading with respect to the period covered by
     this annual report;

3.   Based on my knowledge, the financial statements, and other financial
     information included in this annual report, fairly present in all material
     respects the financial condition, results of operations and cash flows of
     each registrant as of, and for, the periods presented in this annual
     report;

4.   Each registrant's other certifying officer and I are responsible for
     establishing and maintaining disclosure controls and procedures (as defined
     in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e)) for such registrant and we
     have:

         a)     designed such disclosure controls and procedures, or caused such
                disclosure controls and procedures to be designed under our
                supervision, to ensure that material information relating to
                such registrant, including its consolidated subsidiaries, is
                made known to us by others within those entities, particularly
                during the period in which this annual report is being prepared;

         b)     evaluated the effectiveness of such registrant's disclosure
                controls and procedures and presented in this report our
                conclusions about the effectiveness of the disclosure controls
                and procedures, as of the end of the period covered by this
                report based on such evaluation; and

         c)     disclosed in this report any change in such registrant's
                internal control over financial reporting that occurred during
                such registrant's most recent fiscal year that has materially
                affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, such
                registrant's internal control over financial reporting; and

5.   Each registrant's other certifying officer and I have disclosed, based on
     our most recent evaluation of internal control over financial reporting, to
     such registrant's auditors and the audit committee of such registrant's
     board of directors (or persons performing the equivalent function):

         a)     all significant deficiencies and material weaknesses in the
                design or operation of internal control over financial reporting
                which are reasonably likely to adversely affect such
                registrant's ability to record, process, summarize and report
                financial data; and

         b)     any fraud, whether or not material, that involves management or
                other employees who have a significant role in such registrant's
                internal control over financial reporting.



Date:  March 15, 2004



                                                 /s/Anthony J. Alexander
                                           -----------------------------------
                                                    Anthony J. Alexander
                                                   Chief Executive Officer

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