Itron BV and Axway have entered into a partnership to help energy utilities meet the challenges of the changing European regulatory demands. Under the agreement, the Axway B2Bi Gateway will be offered with Itron’s Enterprise Edition meter data management system.
In the European Energy Market, borders are being eliminated as a result of European legislation. Energy utilities are now operating under new conditions and a larger market for their trade. To operate this market, a huge amount of data has to be interchanged between metering companies, suppliers, grid companies and system operators.
Utilities throughout the world use Itron’s Enterprise Edition meter data management software (IEE) as a single meter data repository. IEE collects, houses, processes and analyses data captured from electricity, gas, water and heat meters. IEE also provides the foundation for information distribution and value-added applications.
Axway B2Bi Gateway is an electronic messaging system that allows utilities to share energy data stored in meter data management systems with third-parties such as grid operators, meter reading companies and energy suppliers.
“The solution Itron and Axway offer fills an important need for utilities,” said Gilbert Shaw, managing director of Itron for Europe, the Middle East and Africa. “It creates a way to address everything from housing and analyzing meter data, to ensuring communication of meter data between relevant parties that meet regulatory standards. Itron and Axway are offering a seamless solution—one that is simple to install and that can be easily updated as a utility’s needs change.”
The B2Bi Gateway transfers information using Electronic Data Interchange and XML. Combined with Itron’s meter data management, it creates a flexible solution capable of communicating large volumes of information according to all EDI and XML standards that are currently in the market and that will be developed in the future.
