Itron Inc.'s subsidiary Actaris has signed a contract with Abu Dhabi Water & Electricity Authority (ADWEA) for an additional 140,000 automated meter reading electricity meters.

The contract was awarded after the successful installation of the first phase of 60,000 meters in the region and includes electricity meters with an integrated connection-disconnection breaker and AMR functionality based on IEC standardized Euridis protocol that will allow ADWEA to remotely access all of the metering and operating data and update the meter configuration data. The meters will be fully integrated in an AMR fixed network and they will be deployed across the Emirate of Abu Dhabi covering the cities of Abu Dhabi, Al Ain and many small municipalities, as well as isolated agricultural settlements.

The contract is the first to be awarded to any vendor in the region, making Actaris the largest electricity AMR meter provider in the Middle East. Utilities in the Middle East are particularly concerned about energy and water conservation and are looking for technology to efficiently measure and monitor critical electricity, water, and gas resources. Actaris is positioned to provide Middle East utilities with a comprehensive portfolio of AMR and smart metering solutions and services from our large support team in the region.

“Actaris has developed a focused solution for the Middle East region that takes into account the high demands of temperature, humidity and dust”, said Marcel Regnier, Actaris COO. “Our long-standing experience in the region and our relationship with forward-looking utilities like ADWEA have enabled us to offer high-specification products with the ability to withstand the harshest environmental demands