Itron Lands Largest-Ever International Meter Order

Itron announced it has received an order from Mexico’s Comisión Federal de Electricidad (CFE), for 25,000 SENTINEL solid-state electricity meters. CFE is Mexico’s largest electric utility – covering the whole of Mexico – with more than 20 million customers and 163 power-generating plants.

The agreement represents ItronÂ’s largest-ever international sale of the highly successful SENTINEL meter. Beyond the initial 25,000 meters, CFE also has the option to purchase an additional 37,000 units over the next year.

SENTINEL meters are used for commercial and industrial (C&I) metering applications by electric utilities throughout the world. C&I metering represents approximately 60 percent of CFEÂ’s annual billing, making meter accuracy, reliability and advanced functionality essential for the utility to meet its business and customer service objectives.

“This is a very important step forward for Itron in this market,” said Doug Staker, Itron’s vice-president and general manager of international markets. “On top of other meter sales in the region, this agreement makes Itron one of the top meter suppliers in Mexico. We’re optimistic about continuing to grow our presence in Mexico and throughout Latin America.”

Over the past year, ItronÂ’s SENTINEL meter has been recertified and approved to comply with CFEÂ’s stringent technical metering requirements. These trials were administered by LAPEM, a testing division of CFE.

The SENTINEL meters sold to CFE are designed to allow the utility to easily migrate to automatic meter reading (AMR). For example, it is possible to add on GPRS (general packet radio service) modems, and integration with Itron software solutions like MV-90xi or Enterprise Edition meter data management.

ItronÂ’s industry leading AMR technology enables utilities to automatically collect data via radio signal. As a result, utilities can read meters efficiently and accurately, while eliminating the need for meter readers to access customersÂ’ properties and facilities. The systems also generate more frequent and reliable meter data that gives utilities better insight into operations, conservation initiatives, efficiency and more. Itron has shipped more than 55 million automated meters and AMR modules to utilities worldwide.