Finland’s largest utility announces smart grid project

Fortum, the largest utility in Finland, has selected Echelon Corporation to provide smart grid-supporting software in a new project involving some 550,000 customers in the country. Telvent, a value-added reseller for Echelon, will provide Echelon’s Networked Energy Services (NES) system.

Fortum is a leading energy company among the Nordic countries and Russia along the Baltic Rim. The company generates, distributes, and sells electricity and aims to become the leading sustainable utility. The new project will be the largest smart meter deployment in Finland where there are approximately 3.1 million electricity customers. The new project will include more than one-sixth of them.

Depending on which type of system configuration is selected, Echelon expects the new contract to be worth between $50 and $60 million. The smart meter installations are scheduled to begin sometime in 2011 with completion coming by the end of 2013.

Fortum picked Echelon’s system for its ability to meet key objectives involving energy savings and home automation. The NES system can provide precise hourly measurements to retail customers as well as bi-directional measurement of renewable power generated at the home.
“With the new smart meters invoicing will be based on real electricity consumption,” says Timo Karttinen, senior vice president for corporate development at Fortum. “Better knowledge in turn improves energy efficiency and makes it easier to operate and manage network capacity when actual customer electricity consumption is known. In addition, the smart meters will be used for faster power failure resolution and as a platform for future services within electricity solutions.”

“We are pleased to be chosen by Fortum for this project,” said Manuel Sanchez Ortega, chairman and CEO for Telvent. “Finnish regulators have specified a rich set of high-level requirements that the smart grid infrastructure must meet, a trend we see growing throughout the world.”
“Utilities and regulators are looking to leverage their investments to build a truly smart grid, and together with Echelon, we are confident that we will help Fortum to achieve that goal,” Ortega continued. “Echelon has been a great partner, and I am sure that we will continue our successful relationship for many years.”

Echelon’s NES system includes smart meters that are connected by an IP-based network. The solution provides a high level of visibility into the power grid in addition to advanced billing services. Utilities benefit from the system through streamlined operations processes and enhanced customer service. Equipped with a secure ZigBee wireless interface, Fortum will be able to transmit information between smart meters and other devices within the home.
“This win demonstrates the vast capability of the NES system,” said Ken Oshman, chairman and CEO of Echelon. “We believe it provides the most advanced, flexible, and cost-effective smart grid infrastructure solution available. This win also demonstrates the strength and experience that our partner, Telvent, has in building powerful solutions that meet the growing needs of electric utilities worldwide.”

Echelon Corporation550 Meridian Ave.San Jose, CA 95126 USAhttp://www.echelon.com/
Fortum CorporationKeilaniementie 1, EspooP.O. Box 1FI-00048Finlandhttp://www.fortum.com/
Telvent Git, S.AValgrande, 6 28108Alcobendas, MADSpainhttp://www.telvent.com/

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