Consumers Energy (Michigan) has awarded EnerNex a contract to assist in evaluating options for possible deployment of Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI). The company is assisting Consumers Energy in the development of requirements and business cases, as well as, review and selection of AMI designs and technology solutions for meters, communication networks, meter data management systems and integration with the utility’s information and operation technology systems.

This support is the first step in the process that could lead to specifying, deploying and implementing AMI to Consumers Energy’s customers. AMI has attracted increased attention within the electric power industry driven partly by a provision in the U.S. Energy Policy Act of 2005 mandating that state regulatory bodies examine the feasibility of establishing time-based electricity pricing programs and implementing the advanced metering necessary to support such pricing programs.

According to EnerNex co-founder and Chief Technology Officer Erich W. Gunther, the company will leverage experience and methodologies established during the development of the EPRI IntelliGrid Architecture, involvement in the UtilityAMI organization and an ongoing project for Southern California Edison developing plans for AMI implementation.