TEPCO and MERALCO win at Asian Utility Week

Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) and Manila Electric Company (also known as Meralco) won in the categories of Best Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) or Internet of Things (IoT) Network Rollout Project and Best Customer Engagement Project, respectively, for projects where Landis+Gyr technology has also been recognised by AUW judges.

Japanese utility TEPCO received the Best AMI or IoT Network Rollout Project for the world’s largest and fastest deployed utility IoT network, which supports their smart meter rollout. Featuring Landis+Gyr’s AMI and data management solution, 11 million out of an eventual 27 million smart meters have already been installed, with an early project completion date likely.

Landis+Gyr Global Chief Executive Officer Richard Mora said that in the face of rapid expansion in market competition following deregulation of the energy market, the partnership has provided a competitive edge through increased efficiencies and future innovation opportunities in the energy sector.

“Despite the scale and speed of the rollout, the project continues to be successful on all key measures,” said Mora. TEPCO has set out to leverage the capabilities of smart meters to deliver efficient energy services for its customers, providing them with choice of rate plans and visibility into their consumption to promote energy savings.

“The project has set the company up as an example to the global energy market of what is truly possible in the realm of smart grid and smart cities. The timeline of the project has been cut from 10 to seven years, with up to 130,000 smart meters being supplied each week,” continued Mora.

At the awards, Manila Electric Company (Meralco) also won Best Customer Engagement Project, for a prepaid solution called Kuryente Load (KLoad). Meralco is the Philippines’ largest electric distribution utility and is committed to providing total energy solutions to over six million customers In 36 cities and 75 municipalities within its franchise area. KLoad is one of the world’s first prepaid offerings, integrated with mobile telecommunications, to be supported by AMI and Smart Meters. KLoad allows daily account and consumption monitoring via mobile phones. As a result, customers are able to manage consumption and save an average of 20% on their electricity expenses, freeing up money to purchase other, much needed household items and as such, improving quality of life.