Wisconsin Public Service Corp. (WPSC; Green Bay, Wisconsin), a subsidiary of WPS Resources Corp. (WPS), has resumed installation of Distribution Control Systems Inc.'s (DCSI; St. Louis, Missouri) Two-Way Automatic Communication System (TWACS^®) automatic meter reading (AMR) system.

WPSC voluntarily placed deployment on temporary hold in June 2002 until an independent study could be conducted to determine the possible effects that transmitting data over power lines might have in the cow contact area on dairy farms.

Testing conducted by EPRI-PEAC Corp., the University of Wisconsin-Madison's Department of Biological Systems Engineering and the National Institute of Standards, concluded that the impact, if any, of power line readings did not adversely contribute to stray voltage.

Even though the extensive testing resulted in the determination that Power Line Communications (PLC) technology was safe, the utility has voluntarily decided that TWACS will not be deployed on 5000 to 6000 dairy farms. Deployment is expected to resume promptly in the northern and eastern areas of WPSC's service territory with other major areas slated for installation starting in early 2003.

DCSI's TWACS Integrated Metering Transponders, Substation Communications Equipment and supporting TWACS Net Server host software deliver automated accurate and timely consumption data collected from residential and commercial electric, gas and water meters. Expanded metering functions being deployed in the project include time-of-use (TOU), peak demand and interval data transmission using the TWACS two-way PLC system. TWACS also enables a program that is offered to TOU customers involved in an energy conservation program.
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