Driving Smart Metering Implementation in Europe

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 31, 2008

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:
Kristy Weinshel
202.833.6815
kristy.weinshel@utc.org

Driving Smart Metering Implementation in EuropeEuropean Parliament

Demo Set for 1 April in Brussels

Brussels, Belgium – The importance of Smart Metering for European energy organizations cannot be overstated as organizations look to implement next-generation technologies. In fact, Smart Metering will play a crucial role enabling the vision of Smartgrids, the upgrading the overall electrical grid – a major goal of the European Union. Smart Metering puts end users in the driver’s seat, enabling them to better monitor energy use which ultimately leads to lower customer costs with improved conservation, reliability and grid management.

To help take Smart Metering from concept to reality for members of the European Parliament, the European Utilities Telecom Council (EUTC) is staging an exhibition at the European Parliament on 1 April 2008 in Brussels which will be sponsored by Alcatel Lucent and Landis & Gyr. As leading Smart Metering vendors in Europe, their products will form a centerpiece of the exhibit by showing actual demonstrations of each company’s Smart Metering application. This demonstration is coupled with a presentation by Iberdrola, a Spanish energy organization and EUTC member company, on the importance of the use of open standards in the provision of telecommunication services and their interface to the energy and water meters in order to successfully drive implementation of large scale
multi-meter solutions.

"Smart Metering is an essential element of the Smart Grid solution which will enable better effectiveness and efficiency in regards to the overall energy and water reliability worldwide," according to William R. Moroney, President and CEO of the Utilities Telecom Council. "When you see it live it really shows you the power of the technology. We are pleased that the European Parliament is showing great leadership in promoting a better understanding of how their actions can accelerate the benefits of this exciting new technology. We earnestly hope that decision makers around the world follow their lead," he added.

The purpose of the overall exhibit is to provide delegates with an understanding of how Smart Metering applications can be implemented. In addition, the exhibit aims to illustrate how information actually is transferred from energy and water meters to and from customers’ utilities.

For more information on the exhibit, contact Peter Moray, Director of European Services, at peter.moray@utc.org or +44.7710.057.694

European Utilities Telecom Council
The European Utilities Telecom Council (EUTC), an affiliate of the Utilities Telecom Council, is a collection of European energy and water companies and their technology partners dedicated to creating a favorable business, regulatory, and technological environment for critical telecommunications systems in support of core services. For more information on EUTC, visit www.eutc.org.

Utilities Telecom Council

The Utilities Telecom Council (UTC), headquartered
in Washington, DC, USA, is an international trade association dedicated to creating a favorable business, regulatory, and technological environment for entities that own, manage, or provide critical telecommunications systems in support of core services. Founded in 1948, UTC has evolved into a dynamic organization that represents the broad communications interests of electric, gas, and water utilities; natural gas pipelines; other critical infrastructure entities; and other industry stakeholders. Visit www.utc.org for more information on UTC and its affiliates.

###