Telvent GIT S.A., the Global RealTime IT Company, has signed a contract with the Swedish electricity company Vattenfall Eldistribution AB for the supply and management of an automatic metering reading system for residential customers, for an amount over $67 million.
The project for the supply of the electricity metering system consists of the development and installation of 300,000 residential meters in the homes of Vattenfall customer’s living in the Central, Northern and Western regions of Sweden. The project will commence in the first quarter of 2006 and allows for a potential increase of up to 700,000 meters.
Telvent will also provide complementary metering and data management services, with an integral service for the management and operation of the system that will allow Vattenfall to comply with Swedish legal regulations and improve customer service quality. The contract also includes management of metering information, reporting, and maintenance and support of all devices included in the project. All this real-time information is critical for the billing process of an electric utility.
According to Telvent's chairman and chief executive officer, Manuel Sánchez Ortega, “This contract offers a difficult challenge in the area of system integration of electrical measurement applications, as it involves the management of real-time information and its integration with other proprietary systems.”
Telvent technology will allow for the automatization of the reading process in electric meters, as well as for real-time, unscheduled readings in response to customer inquiries. It will also allow for the elimination of most meter reading costs derived from having to perform manual readings of electric consumption. Customer service benefits encompass reduction in billing errors, complaints, and inquiries along with associated reductions in call center staff and related costs and the ability to offer flexible tariffs.
“The services that we are providing to Vattenfall will allow Telvent to develop a long-term relationship with the Swedish company, beyond the commissioning of the system. All this will improve the quality of service that Vattenfall's customers receive,” explained Sánchez Ortega.
