An approaching deadline for a tender leading to the supply-and-installation rights for Greece’s first 200,000 digital electricity meters is likely to be extended following objections raised by a number of firms over technical requirements stipulated by the competition’s organizer, HEDNO, the Hellenic Electricity Distribution Network Operator, locally referred to as DEDDIE.

If the objections raised are accepted by authorities, then the tender will undergo certain revisions, which is likely to prompt a slight extension to the original deadline, set for September 22.

According to sources, various companies have raised respective objections to the tender’s current terms, arguing that certain technical specifications are unfairly ruling them out of contention.

HEDNO has refused to elaborate on the issue, but has noted that any objections would be examined by a committee set up to resolve such disputes.

It remains unclear which companies will do battle for the supply-and-installation rights to the project, to begin as a pilot program for 200,000 households in various parts of the country. Firms being mentioned as possible candidates include Intrakat, through Intralot, OTE, Ericsson, and GEK-Terna. IBM and Siemens are both being rated as outsiders, while a number of Chinese firms are also believed to be considering the project.

The tender for Greece’s first 200,000 digital electricity meters, to replace old Public Power Corporation (PPC) meters, was announced in July.

These new digital electricity meters promise to offer high-tech services, such as monitoring of electricity consumption patterns, for both suppliers and consumers, therefore providing solutions for efficient supply and consumption management.

A number of failed attempts have been made over the past decade to initiate the pilot program for the installation of digital power meters. The country faces an EU deadline to replace 80%, or seven million, of its old power meters by 2020.

Work is expected to begin within 2015. The tender’s regulations require the installation of the first 10,000 digital power meters within nine months of the contract’s commencement, and 160,000 meters over the ensuing 15-month period.