WARREN — FirstEnergy, the Akron-based power provider that’s investing millions in Lordstown to support an electric vehicle battery-cell manufacturing plant, has been named among the top utilities in the U.S. for promoting economic development.

It’s the third year in a row Site Selection, a planning and development magazine, gave the honor to the electric company.

“Even in the midst of the pandemic, our economic development team positively influenced 107 major projects in 2020, attracting more new jobs and more direct investment than 2019, which also was a banner year for our efforts,” said Patrick Kelly, director of economic development for FirstEnergy.

One of the bigger projects, according to Kelly, is the $2.3 billion plant in Lordstown, a joint venture of General Motors and South Korea’s LG Energy Solution to mass produce battery cells that will be used in several future GM electric vehicles.

To support the project, FirstEnergy is investing $31 million to expand and bolster its transmission system to the plant. The two-phase project will include a backup line to the state Route 45 plant, new substation and new high-voltage transmission lines.

The plant, about 3.1 million square feet on 158 acres, will employ upward of 1,000 workers at full production. Production is expected to launch sometime in early 2022.

In 2020, FirstEnergy launched a new economic development website — www.feeconomic-development.com — and sponsored webinars on the economic impact of the pandemic, focusing on how businesses in its six-state service area can encourage and facilitate foreign direct investment as part of their overall economic development efforts.

The company’s economic development team also provides help with location analysis and community research, site tours, permitting and regulations expertise, information on available sites and buildings, demographic, workforce and business establishments data, introductions to local, regional and state officials and information about local and state economic development incentives

“Many times, the best economic development assistance we can provide is being an active liaison with FirstEnergy’s 10 utilities, especially when it comes to ensuring the local grid can handle the added electrical usage any new projects produce,” Kelly said.

Site Selection magazine, published by Atlanta-based Conway Data Inc., delivers expansion planning information to 47,000 executives of fast-growing firms.