Landis+Gyr has signed a contract worth approximately €60 million to deliver 'Linky' meters to ERDF. From the beginning of the project, Landis+Gyr has taken part in both designing and testing of the 'Linky' meter, in accordance with ERDF specifications. The meter is based on PLC (Power Line Communication) technology.
ERDF (Electricite Reseau Distribution France) manages the electrical distribution network for 95% of the metropolitan area. The company ensures the operation, development and maintenance of 1,265,500 km of power lines serving 35 million customers.
In 2010, ERDF staged a first smart meter pilot, which comprised 300,000 'Linky' smart meters and 7,000 Data Concentrators, as well as a central system with scalability to 35 million end points. Landis+Gyr was one of three device suppliers in this pilot project, and it delivered successful results.
Following this success, the French Government and the French Energy Regulator (the CRE) gave their green light for a nationwide rollout of these meters.
In the middle of 2013, ERDF announced the public tender for the first phase of the smart meter deployment, with rollout scheduled to take place between 2015 and 2016. The volumes in this first step are three million 'Linky' meters and 80,000 Data Concentrators, with a split between G1 technology (PLC-PLAN) and G3 technology (PLC based on OFDM technology).
This contract forms the first part of ERDF's plans to deploy 'Linky' meters France between 2015 and 2021.
"'Linky' is the first step toward the smart grid of the future in France, and continued modernization of the French electricity network remains an ERDF priority. Landis+Gyr has a long, successful history of working with ERDF and we are proud to support them with the delivery of products manufactured inFrance, in Montlucon, both in G1 and G3 PLC technology. Once complete, this program will count as the world's largest smart metering rollout to date," says Christian Huguet, Country Manager Landis+Gyr France.
