Jul 17 2014
Landis+Gyr, the global leader in energy management solutions, will deliver smart meter products and software solutions to energy utility RWE in Poland for installation in residential buildings located in the city of Warsaw. Deliveries are due to start in September, with system installation scheduled for the end of 2014.
“We are proud to have been selected by RWE for this inaugural smart metering deployment in Poland,” said Andreas Umbach, Landis+Gyr’s President and CEO, “RWE’s vision of enhanced grid functionality is a great match with Landis+Gyr’s experience and capabilities.”
Under the terms of the agreement, Landis+Gyr will deliver its Gridstream™ end-to-end solution, including 50,000 smart meters and an AIM head end system to RWE in Poland. The AIM system will have an interface to RWE’s existing IT infrastructure, and is designed to support its asset management needs, as well as its billing services. A four year service contract is also included in the contract terms.
RWE operates a number of companies in Poland, including RWE Polska and RWE Stoen Operator. RWE Polska, together with RWE East, is responsible for supporting the development of the Group in Poland. RWE Stoen Operator manages the Warsaw power network.
“Implementation of the smart grid concept in the area of our operation will essentially improve the level of energy efficiency of the system as a whole,” says Agnieszka Nosal, Board Member of RWE Stoen Operator and also responsible for AMI investments. “It will also allow for the development of distributed generation which is to play a major role in the future energy market. Investment in AMI will bring many benefits to end-consumers, providing them with access to actual consumption data, as well as enabling the utility to rapidly identify any interference in the network. The introduction of flexible product sales tailored to the lifestyle needs of individual customers will also come in the future.”
“This is a significant milestone for Landis+Gyr,” says Andrzej Szymanski, Country Manager of Landis+Gyr Poland, “RWE is a trusted customer and we are delighted to contribute to the development of smart metering in Poland with this project in Warsaw.”
Between 2014 and 2019, RWE foresees that 25 percent of its investments will go into smart infrastructure, which totals 420 million Polish Zloty (approximately 100 million Euros). In the first stage of the project, which is due to be complete by the end of 2014, RWE will install 25,000 smart meters in residential buildings in Warsaw; full project completion is scheduled for December 2015. RWE will also invest in its network, overhead high voltage lines, as well as in medium voltage cable lines in urban areas.
There has been rapid smart metering development in Poland in recent years. The signing of a declaration in June 2009 by the Polish National Energy Conservation Agency as well as the country’s three largest consumer organizations each called for the introduction of smart metering in Poland to increase energy efficiency for individual, institutional and industrial customers.