Energijos skirstymo operatorius (ESO) and French company Sagemcom Energy and Telecom SAS have concluded a procurement agreement for smart metering infrastructure, which will ensure the acquisition and implementation of about 1.2 million new generation smart electricity meters as well as system data management and communication solutions. Smart meters will transmit the information about energy consumption via a secure connection, and residents will never have to write down the meter readings again, they will be able to see accurate consumption details, receive new services from market participants as well as consume energy more efficiently. The contract value of the largest smart metering project in the Baltic states amounts to EUR 75 million.
Sagemcom will implement the tender together with partners. Siemens, a company with a long-term experience in creating solutions for energy sector, will be installing software while connection services for the new equipment will be provided by Bitė Lietuva. To implement the best technological connection solution, the telecommunications company is one of the first companies in the region that introduced Narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT) technology.
“Installation of smart meters is an important step towards transforming the energy sector, which marks the progress and digitisation of the entire Lithuanian energy sector. It is one of the largest smart metering projects in the Baltics states, which will help ensure energy consumption efficiency as well as reliable supply of energy for a competitive price. Our goal is bright and warm homes, and solutions like these motivate consumers to change their habits, to consume energy more efficiently while it motivates suppliers to offer a greater variety of possibilities and services”, said Dainius Kreivys, Minister of Energy.
Energy services’ quality will improve
After upgrading the meters, an accurate payable amount will reach the customer in a pre-generated bill. It will allow residents to see easily, accurately and effortlessly access their consumption data, analyse it and change consumption habits.
“New generation smart meters are an important part of complex electricity network infrastructure, which, after upgrading the network, will improve the quality of services of the distribution system operator while implementation of smart metering system will enable the energy evolution in Lithuania. So we are glad to have concluded the contract with a professional, experienced, and, most importantly, reliable partner, who is leading in such technology in Europe and has a long-standing experience of working in our region”, said Mindaugas Keizeris, CEO at ESO.
Mr Keizeris states that during the procurement process it was ensured that Lithuania receives the most advanced solution for optimal price.
Changes will commence this year
The roll out works of the largest smart metering project in the Baltic states will commence this year.
“Sagemcom is proud to be a technology partner to ESO, enabling ESO to fulfil its ambition for smart metering solution roll out. This awarding emphasizes the trust and confidence ESO has given to Sagemcom, which is based on experience in implementing the most advanced solutions and the most economically advantageous tender. Moreover, this is a key project to manage the electricity network in real-time, reliably, and intelligently with a view on increasing the ability of the end consumer to control their energy consumption”, said Eric Rieul, CEO of Sagemcom Energy & Telecom SAS.
According to Mr Rieul, with this success, Sagemcom confirms the recognition of its expertise on the latest smart metering solutions as well as its capability to carry out dimensioning projects.
New communication technology is also being launched in Lithuania
One of the firstin the Baltic states, a commercial narrowband internet (LTE CAT-M) technology is being launched along the smart meters. It will operate in tandem with narrowband internet of things (NB-IoT) technology launched only last year.
“We are pioneers of internet of things’ solutions in B2B and leaders in the state. But this project is important not only to us, but also to all residents of Lithuania because, together with this project, two advanced technologies – NB-IoT and LTE CAT-M – will be launched virtually across the entire territory of the state. They are the key internet of things’ (IoT) technologies and their application in Lithuania is an opportunity for the breakthrough of the entire ecosystem as well as to lead not only in the Baltic states, but the entire Europe”, said Pranas Kuisys, CEO at Bitė Lietuva.
According to Mr Kuisys, both new communication technologies rely on the equipment of Swedish manufacturer Ericsson and will help ensure the highest-quality services for ESO customers because they ensure perfect data permeability even when there is no signal. This is necessary for electricity meters securely connected to the internet.
By the end of 2023, residents consuming over 1,000 kWh of electricity per year and all business customers will be upgraded from oldmeters to the new smart ones(about 1.2 million). Starting from 2024, the old meters will be changed for the remaining residents at the end of their metrological validation. Upgrading the meter will not add an additional cost for the residents – it is a part of network investments performed by ESO.
A complete information about the smart metering infrastructure project conducted by ESO can be found on the website: ismaniejiskaitikliai.lt