Thursday, September 29, 2011

Itron Eyeballs French Smart Meter Effort

Liberty Lake, Washington-based Itron is eyeballing the possibility of some very big, smart meter wins in France today, after the French government said it will roll out smart electricity meters to the entire country. Itron said that the government of France has extended its "Linky" project to roll out smart meters to the entire nation, or approximately 35 million homes across France. Itron was involved in earlier efforts to install smart meters in France, via a deal with EDRF, the largest French Distribution System Operator. Itron said it installed 100,00 meters and 3,500 concentrators to a pilot program from EDRF in 2010 and 2011. Itron has not yet been selected by France, but said it is looking at how to be able to meet any volumes required for a country-wide deployment of its smart meters.