About 37,500 customers, 61 percent of those who were enrolled, selected a new electricity supplier in the first phase of PP&L's customer choice pilot program.

"This pilot program is an important step in the transition to a competitive electricity marketplace. We are very pleased with the results so far and we look forward to learning more about the process as the pilot continues," said Robert J. Grey, PP&L's senior vice president and general counsel.

Grey said that the early experience in the pilot program clearly confirms that consumer education is a crucial component of the transition to customer choice. "The customer education process is just beginning. This remains a significant challenge that PP&L is committed to tackling, in cooperation with the state Public Utility Commission," said Grey.

"We remain absolutely convinced that customer choice will have significant benefits for customers and for economic development in Pennsylvania. That's why we have led the move to customer choice in the state," said Grey.

PP&L pilot program participants will be buying electricity from 22 energy suppliers. PP&L offered competitively priced electricity to customers throughout the state through its PP&L EnergyPlus brand.

The pilot program is the first step in the phase in of customer choice for all Pennsylvanians. Under customer choice, Pennsylvania consumers and businesses will have the opportunity to select the company that supplies their electricity. The state's current electric utilities -- including PP&L-- will continue to deliver electricity to homes and businesses.

A pilot program, which was authorized by the state Public Utility Commission, began statewide this fall. About 270,000 customers were selected to participate in late September. The goal is to have 5 percent of Pennsylvania's electricity users selecting the company that generates their electricity.

The pilot runs until Jan. 1, 1999, when one-third of all Pennsylvania electricity users will have the opportunity to shop for their electricity supplier. A second third will have that opportunity by Jan. 1, 2000, and all customers will have choice by Jan. 1, 2001.

Nov. 14 was the PUC-established deadline for participants in the first phase of the pilot program to select a new supplier.

Customers who did not select a new supplier by the Nov. 14 deadline, will forfeit their pilot slots to customers who had volunteered to participate in the program but were not selected for the first phase. As a result, on Dec. 1, PP&L will begin notifying additional customers that they now will have the opportunity to select their supplier. The new group of customers will have until Jan. 16 to choose a supplier.

PP&L expects to continue to recruit participants until 5 percent-- about 61,000 -- of its customers are taking part in the program.