Comision Federal de Electricidad (CFE) Selects Elster for Mexico City's First AMI Smart Grid Project

RALEIGH, N.C., April 19, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Elster (NYSE: ELT) announced today that Comision Federal de Electricidad (CFE) has selected the company's EnergyAxis® Smart Grid solution to power the utility's first advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) project in Mexico City, Mexico's capital city with a population of more than 20 million.

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The Mexican Secretaria de Energia (SENER) and CFE will use the EnergyAxis pilot as a benchmark for evaluating the advantages of Elster's Smart Grid technologies for potential future deployments. CFE has already successfully deployed nine other EnergyAxis systems throughout 14 of Mexico's 16 service areas, making EnergyAxis the largest AMI system with the most endpoints in the country.

By demonstrating AMI features such as remote meter reading in hard to reach areas, energy usage monitoring, remote connect/disconnect, load management and AMI-DA (distribution automation) convergence in voltage monitoring, the Elster project will expand CFE's Smart Grid initiatives even further.  

CFE, which is owned by the Mexican government, generates, distributes and markets electric power for almost 34.2 million customers. Elster is the first and only AMI provider to have received a Certificate of Compliance from CFE, which certifies the integration of EnergyAxis with CFE's enterprise system.

As part of this project, Elster will deploy its EnergyAxis Smart Grid solution and Smart Meters in the zone of Polanco, a residential neighborhood near Chapultepec. CFE will use the project to showcase AMI benefits including system improvements, increased productivity, reduced outages, more accurate readings, improved operational efficiencies related to fewer truck rolls and service calls, and a reduction in non-technical losses.

CFE also expects to leverage its investment in EnergyAxis to provide Smart Grid enhancements to other gas and water utilities.

"As the first AMI project in Mexico City, CFE is carefully analyzing every detail of this deployment with the hope of expanding its success to other areas of the city. With more control over its electricity infrastructure, CFE can help customers better manage energy usage and improve its operational processes," said Mark Munday, president and CEO of Elster Solutions.

Elster is leading a consortium of utility technology providers on the Mexico City Smart Grid project, including the company's distributor partner in Mexico, Tecnologias EOS.  Additional consortium members include ENERI, which will provide its own technology for cabinet solutions and GIMSA, the subcontractor that will work with Elster on the meter installations.

"Mexico City has a reputation for setting the standard for technology innovation and adoption. The city's selection of Elster's proven technology for its Smart Grid project reflects that reputation and can serve as a blueprint for AMI success across the region. We are looking forward to working with CFE on Mexico City's landmark Smart Grid AMI project," added Munday.

With a multi-technology, IP-based approach to Smart Grid deployments, Elster's Smart Meters and EnergyAxis solution provide unique features for collecting and managing energy data for both residential and commercial customers.

Elster's EnergyAxis, a field-proven Smart Grid solution with more than 85 active deployments and five million endpoints across the globe, enables utilities to:

• Realize operational efficiencies;
• Conserve environmental and economic resources by reducing the losses in electricity, gas and water infrastructures;
• Reduce outages and improve outage response and repair time;
• Improve customer service and consumer choice;
• Implement demand response programs that can conserve resources and reduce costs, especially during periods of peak demand;
• Provide real-time information to end consumers to allow them to better manage their energy consumption; and
• Detect and reduce non-technical grid losses.

About Elster

Elster (NYSE: ELT) is one of the world's largest electricity, gas and water measurement and control providers. Its offerings include distribution monitoring and control, advanced smart metering, demand response, networking and software solutions, and numerous related communications and services – key components for enabling consumer choice, operational efficiency and conservation. Its products and solutions are widely used by utilities in the traditional and emerging Smart Grid markets.  

Elster has one of the most extensive installed revenue measurement bases in the world, with more than 200 million metering devices deployed over the course of the last 10 years. It sells its products and services in more than 130 countries across electricity, gas, water and multi-utility applications for residential, commercial and industrial, and transmission and distribution applications.

For more information about Elster, please visit www.elster.com.

SOURCE Elster