The deadline for an international tender for the supply and installation of 200,000 digital electricity consumption meters in various parts of the country, as a pilot program, has been reset for a third time by the Hellenic Electricity Distribution Network Operator, HEDNO – locally known as DEDDIE – prompting market officials to consider highly unlikely the appearance of new meters within 2015. The tender’s new deadline has been set for January 30, 2015.
Bidders faced an original deadline of September 22, 2014. It was reset for November 3 after interested parties protested over various specifications. A second revision followed, reestablishing the deadline for November 30, and now participants have been given until the end of January 30, 2015, following renewed requests made by various prospective bidders.
According to sources, the series of deadline revisions has resulted as no prospective bidders have managed to entirely meet specifications, as described by the tender. Subsequently, HEDNO has been forced to make a series of revisions to the tender’s specifications, based on observations made by participants. Certain sector officials have not ruled out the possibility of the need for yet another extension to the latest date set. If no further changes are made, the tender’s outcome can be expected to be announced in March, 2015. Most officials agree that it is starting to look like no installations of new digital power meters will be made until 2016.
According to sources, major corporate groups such as Metka, GEK, Intrakat, OTE, and Enelco are considering to submit bids, using electricity meters manufactured by companies such as Landis+Gyr, Itron, and Elgama.
The pilot project has a budget of 86.5 million euros. It is designed to serve as a prelude for the eventual replacement of about seven million old PPC (Public Power Corporation) meters, a project worth over one billion euros.
EU law obliges member states to have replaced 80 percent of their conventional electricity meters with digital meters by 2018, meaning that Greece is already behind schedule.
New digital power meters will offer consumers far more detailed customer services while also assisting producers and suppliers with more efficient electricity management.