August 3, 2007 — Oncor Electric Delivery, a business that provides power to more than three million homes and businesses in Texas, says it will implement nanotechnology this summer that will both discourage would-be criminals from stealing copper from the company’s substations and switchyards and help law enforcement personnel find and prosecute thieves.

The technology marks Oncor equipment and particularly copper wire so that it can be identified after it has been stolen. Oncor says it will work closely with law enforcement in this effort. Areas protected with the technology will also have signs warning that material has been marked with a traceable technology.

“This is a traceable technology that will enable us to not only identify our stolen goods, but also to prosecute to the fullest extent of the law,” said Rob Trimble, president and chief operating officer of Oncor. “Substations and switchyards have been the main targets for copper theft. Thieves are literally taking their lives in their hands for some spending money when they remove metal from a high-voltage area.”

Not only is safety an issue for thieves, but also for Oncor employees. When protective ground wires are stolen from substations and switchyards, employees may be shocked or injured.