FirstEnergy announced that it has joined Green Circuits, an 18-month Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) initiative that will identify possible options for reducing electricity losses on distribution and transmission lines and explore technology improvements in both infrastructure and equipment.

"We are pleased to be part of this program," said John Paganie, FirstEnergy's vice president of Energy Efficiency. "Maximizing the efficiency of electricity transmission and distribution systems can play a key role in reducing overall demand."

The initial goal is to develop technology applications to reduce electricity losses and increase the efficiency of utility distribution systems. The project will later address energy efficiency improvements in transmission lines, which carry large amounts of power over great distances.

"The industry and end-use customers will benefit from technical information to better understand how we can increase the efficiency of transmitting electricity," said Arshad Mansoor, EPRI's vice president of Power Delivery and Utilization. "FirstEnergy will play a key role in the Green Circuits initiative and we applaud their willingness to be among the leaders of this program."

EPRI expects to have the cooperation of 40 utilities during the 18-month project. Research suggests that if the efficiency of the electric distribution system alone can be improved by 10 percent, the additional electricity available would be equal to the entire installed capacity of wind generation in the United States in 2006.

FirstEnergy is a diversified energy company headquartered in Akron, Ohio. Its subsidiaries and affiliates are involved in the generation, transmission and distribution of electricity, as well as energy management and other energy-related services. Its seven electric utility operating companies comprise the nation's fifth largest investor-owned electric system, based on 4.5 million customers served within a 36,100-square-mile area of Ohio, Pennsylvania and New Jersey; and its generation subsidiaries control more than 14,000 megawatts of capacity.