Landis+Gyr Supreme Court action for smart meters exit

Swiss-headquartered group Landis+Gyr has scheduled a news conference for today to inform of the reasons behind its decision to legally challenge, at the Council of State, Greece’s Supreme Administrative Court, its disqualification from the final round of a tender staged by Greek electricity distribution network operator DEDDIE/HEDNO for a lucrative one billion-euro contract concerning the installation of approximately 7.5 million smart meters throughout the country.

At today’s session, Landis+Gyr also plans to offer an update on the next steps it intends to take concerning the smart-meters tender and also inform on its overall strategy for the Greek market.

Landis+Gyr’s chief executive officer Werner Lieberherr and the head official of the group’s Greek subsidiary, Aristidis Pappas, have already suggested a Supreme Court setback for the Swiss group would jeopardize a multi-million-euro investment plan at its production plant in Corinth, west of Athens.

Landis+Gyr was disqualified from the tender by DEDDIE/HEDNO as it declared, as a sub-contractor, a production facility other than its Corinth plant, serving as an international hub for Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

Landis+Gyr took its case to the Council of State after a preliminary appeal was rejected by the Hellenic Single Public Procurement Authority.

Greek company Protasis, partnering with France’s Sagemcom Energy & Telecom SAS; US corporation Itron’s Spanish subsidiary; fellow US firm Elster Rometrics’ Romanian subsidiary; and Slovenia’s Iskraemeco have qualified for the tender’s final round.

Over the past decade or so, DEDDIE/HEDNO and parent company PPC, the power utility, have announced a series of tenders for the procurement and installation of smart meters, ultimately to no avail. They have either not taken place or not been completed.

Smart meters tender headed towards unchartered territory

Swiss-headquartered group Landis+Gyr’s announcement highlighting it will pursue all available legal options in an effort to overturn its disqualification from the final round of a tender staged by Greek electricity distribution network operator DEDDIE/HEDNO for a lucrative contract concerning the installation of approximately 7.5 million smart meters throughout the country, to replace the existing analog meters, appears to be directing the competitive procedure towards unchartered territory.

Over the past decade or so, DEDDIE/HEDNO and parent company PPC, the power utility, have announced a series of tenders for the procurement and installation of smart meters, ultimately to no avail. They have either not taken place or not been completed.

The Swiss-headquartered corporation was disqualified from the latest tender by the Greek operator as it had declared, as a sub-contractor, a production facility other than one it maintains in Corinth, west of Athens, which serves as an international hub for Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

Normally, a recent decision by the Hellenic Single Public Procurement Authority rejecting the Swiss group’s case would give DEDDIE/HEDNO the green light to move ahead with the next round of the tender.

This would entail forwarding technical specifications of the required new power meters as well as the IMR MDM (Meter Data Management System) to the procedure’s four qualifiers, Greek company Protasis, partnering with France’s Sagemcom Energy & Telecom SAS; US corporation Itron’s Spanish subsidiary; fellow US firm Elster Rometrics’ Romanian subsidiary; and Slovenia’s Iskraemeco.

Landis+Gyr is expected to decide on the next step of its legal recourse once it has received the full details, in writing, of its case’s rejection by the Hellenic Single Public Procurement Authority, expected to be delivered between mid and late March.

Ongoing legal cases threaten to delay smart meters tender

Legal action taken by Greek company Protasis, one of four second-round qualifiers in a tender offering a lucrative contract for the installation of smart meters throughout Greece, against Swiss group Landis+Gyr, which took preceding legal action of its own against the market operator staging the tender as a response to its disqualification, threatens to further complicate the overall procedure.

A verdict on the Landis+Gyr case is expected to be delivered on February 28. As things have turned out, distribution network operator DEDDIE/HEDNO, staging the tender, has found an ally in Protasis in its battle against Landis+Gyr.

The Swiss-headquartered corporation was disqualified from the tender by the Greek operator as it had declared, as a sub-contractor, a production facility other than one it maintains in Corinth, west of Athens, which serves as an international hub for Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

In its legal case against Landis+Gyr, Protasis supports the exact same claim made by DEDDIE/HEDNO in its decision to eliminate the Swiss company.

According to sources, if Landis+Gyr is not vindicated in its ongoing legal battle, it is prepared to take all legal means available to rejoin the tender’s shortlist, meaning the company may go all the way to the Council of State, Greece’s supreme administrative court. It appears Protasis could do the same if its legal case against Landis+Gyr is not successful.

Given such possibilities, the DEDDIE/HEDNO tender is headed for big delays of at least three to six months, maybe even a year.

Besides Protasis, three other participants have qualified for the second round of the DEDDIE/HEDNO tender, these being US corporation Itron’s Spanish subsidiary, fellow US firm Elster Rometrics, and Slovenia’s Iskraemeco.

The tender is offering a contract for the installation of approximately 7.5 million smart meters throughout the country over a ten-year period, a project budgeted at 830 million euros.

 

HEDNO awaiting Landis+Gyr verdict for smart meters tender 2nd round

Distribution network operator DEDDIE/HEDNO is awaiting the outcome of legal action taken by Swiss group Landis+Gyr following its disqualification from a tender for the installation of smart meters in Greece before it proceeds with the procedure’s second round.

The Landis+Gyr case is expected to be heard by the Authority for the Examination of Preliminary Appeals (AEPP) next week, on February 8, according to energypress sources. The outcome of the case will determine how the tender plays out, including whether further legal action could be taken by the Swiss-headquartered corporation.

The tender is offering a lucrative contract for the installation of approximately 7.5 million smart throughout the country over a ten-year period, a project budgeted at 830 million euros.

Once the situation concerning the Swiss group has been clarified, DEDDIE/HEDNO will forward, to the tender’s participants, second-round terms concerning smart-meter technical specifications as well as software specifications.

Landis+Gyr is said to have been disqualified from the DEDDIE/HEDNO tender as it had declared, as a sub-contractor, a plant other than one it maintains in Corinth, west of Athens, which serves as an international hub for Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

As previously reported by energypress, four participants have qualified for the second round of the DEDDIE/HEDNO tender, these being US corporation Itron’s Spanish subsidiary, fellow US firm Elster Rometrics, Slovenia’s Iskraemeco, and Greek company Protasis.

Besides Landis+Gyr, Denmark’s Netcompany Intrasoft and Italy’s Gridspertise also failed to advance to the next stage of the DEDDIE/HEDNO tender.

Four entrants make 2nd round of HEDNO smart meters tender

Electricity distribution network operator DEDDIE/HEDNO has shortlisted four of seven first-round participants in a tender offering a lucrative contract for the installation of approximately 7.5 million smart throughout the country, to replace the existing analog meters.

An additional contestant could be added to the list of second-round qualifiers if Swiss company Landis+Gyr is vindicated in a legal case it filed following its failure to reach the second round. A verdict is expected within the next three to four months.

The four bidder through to the tender’s second round are: Itron Spain SLU, the Spanish subsidiary of leading American meters producer Itron, joined by Spain’s ZIV Aplicaciones y Tecnologia SL, a maker of modems and related equipment; the Romanian subsidiary of American meters producer Elster Rometrics SRL, a member of the Honeywell group, along with Intracom SA Telecoms Solutions and Elster Gmbh; Slovenia’s Iskraemeco, with France’s Oracle France SAS; and Greece’s Protasis SA, joined by French company Sagemcom Energy & Telecom SAS, the main supplier of France’s Enedis.

Besides Switzerland’s Landis+Gyr, a multinational with facilities including a factory in Corinth, west of Athens, the two other participants not through to the second round are: Italy’s Gridspertise Srl, which was joined by Bitron Poland Sp Z.oo for the DEDDIE/HEDNO tender; and Denmark’s Netcompany Intarsoft SA – it took over Intrasoft in 2021 – which bid along with Sweden’s Ningbo Sanxing Electric, Poland’s Foxytech Sp Z.o.o, and Vodafone Panafon Hellenic Telecommunications Company SA.

DEDDIE/HEDNO plans to have the upgrade’s 7.5 million or so smart meters installed over a ten-year period. The project is budgeted at 830 million euros.

The new smart meters will provide consumers with real-time information on the kilowatt-hours they use; consumption records, via home devices or web applications; as well as varying supplier tariff levels, all of which will help consumers become more energy-efficient for lower energy costs.

In addition, smart meters will help DEDDIE/HEDNO identify technical problems in the grid, enabling swifter repair of damages.  

Operator decides on 2nd round qualifiers for smart meters

Electricity distribution network operator DEDDIE/HEDNO has shortlisted the second-round qualifiers in a tender awarding a contract for the installation of approximately 7.5 million smart throughout the country, to replace the existing analog meters, energypress sources have informed.

The DEDDIE/HEDNO board yesterday approved the shortlist of second-round qualifiers, roughly one-third of the original field of seven candidates.

The companies disqualified failed to meet procedural requirements or quality standards, the sources noted.

Interested parties faced a mid-June deadline to submit applications to the tender. The operator’s appraisal of first-round applications required considerable time as participants were called upon to clarify various details.

The tender’s first-round participants were: US-based Itron; Switzerland’s Landis+Gyr; Elster, now a member of international group Honeywell; Protasis, a Greek firm operating in Greece as a representative of French company Sagemcom; Slovenia-based Iskraemeco; Gridspertise, founded in 2021 by Italian group Enel to market the group’s smart network technology; and Intrasoft International, which became a member of Danish-headquartered IT group Netcompany last year.

DEDDIE/HEDNO plans to complete the project by 2030. Its cost is budgeted at 829 million euros. The upgrade will offer immediate benefits, which have been evaluated at 223 million euros in the first year alone, in 2031.

 

Seven international players meet smart meters tender deadline

A total of seven major international players have expressed non-binding, first-round interest in a new tender staged by distribution network operator DEDDIE/HEDNO for procurement and installation of digital power meters around the country.

The operator launched this new tender after its previous procedure, launched eight years ago, ended up being brought to a standstill by legal battles fought between rival bidders.

The seven companies that met the new procedure’s first-round deadline, which expired last Friday following five extensions granted to interested parties, are: US-based Itron; Switzerland’s Landis+Gyr; Elster, now a member of international group Honeywell; Protasis, a Greek firm operating in Greece as a representative of French company Sagemcom; Slovenia-based Iskraemeco; Gridspertise, founded in 2021 by Italian group Enel to market the group’s smart network technology; and Intrasoft International, which became a member of Danish-headquartered IT group Netcompany last year.

First-round offers are planned to be opened at midday today, setting in motion their appraisal.

The project, entailing the installation of approximately 7.5 million smart meters in Greece, is expected to be completed in 2030 and its budget is estimated at 830 million euros.

 

Smart meter first-round tender deadline extended until Friday

Distribution network operator DEDDIE/HEDNO has extended, until this Friday, the first-round deadline of its new tender concerning procurement and installation of digital power meters around the country.

The operator decided on the extension, the fifth to be offered to interested parties since the tender’s launch earlier this year, following requests made by major players, believed to be interested in the project.

The project, entailing the installation of approximately 7.5 million smart meters, is expected to be completed in 2030 and its budget is estimated at 830 million euros.

American, European and Asian firms are said to be interested. At least seven major international players are reportedly considering DEDDIE/HEDNO’s tender for smart meters in Greece. These are: US company Honeywell, Germany’s Siemens, France’s Schneider Electric, the UK’s Sagemcom, Italy’s Itron, Slovenia’s Iscra Emeco and Switzerland’s Landis+Gyr, which has transferred its production lines to the factory of its Greek subsidiary in Corinth, west of Athens.

A number of these candidates are expected to establish partnerships with Greek companies for the DEDDIE/HEDNO tender.

DEDDIE/HEDNO launched this new tender after its previous procedure, launched several years ago, was eventually brought to a standstill as a result of legal battles between rival bidders.

HEDNO relaunches delayed tender for smart meters

A new tender for the procurement and installation of digital power meters and related systems around the country, essential for monitoring and swift pinpointing of technical problems, as the latest extreme weather conditions have highlighted, is being prepared for launch by distribution network operator DEDDIE/HEDNO after its previous tender, launched several years ago, was eventually brought to a standstill as a result of legal battles between rival bidders.

The operator has now started the procedure from scratch and prepared a new tender for the procurement and installation of 7.7 million smart meters, to gradually replace the country’s existing conventional meters over a five-year period.

DEDDIE/HEDNO invited prospective bidders to express interest in an announcement released in mid-December, energypress sources have informed.

The contract will include procurement and installation of point-to-point communication technology, an advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) system, as well as a meter data management (MDM) system.

The new tender will consist of two stages, a preliminary stage shortlisting bidders and a second stage for submission of financial and technical offers by participants.

Contracts for the smart meters and AMI system will be offered to up to three winning bidders, while the MDM system contract will be offered to one of these three.

 

Thousands still without power, smart meters a notable absence

Some 3,000 households, mostly in the wider Athens area’s northeastern section, are estimated to remain without electricity following a heavy snowstorm that peaked in the region Monday, leaving approximately 200,000 households powerless, according to a latest estimate this morning.

Distribution network operator DEDDIE/HEDNO crews are continuing repair work on four main lines, pending issues mainly concerning supply to the capital’s northeastern areas Kato Souli, Grammatiko, Schinia and Pikermi, as well as a smaller number of isolated cases.

Late last night, between 5,000 and 10,000 households were still without electricity, while, early yesterday, approximately 200,000 households were powerless. In some cases, residents in areas just 12 kilometers from the center of Athens needed to persevere without power for at least 36 hours.

Consumers have, understandably, lodged numerous complaints. Besides faulty planning and the responsibilities of authorities, the absence of smart meters was sorely missing, once again, as was the case with a heavy snowstorm last winter.

Smart meters offer a real-time picture on damages, serving as a type of radar that pinpoints network damages that enables technical crews to immediately focus on trouble spots rather than search and work haphazardly.

This explains why DEDDIE/HEDNO, the distribution network operator, relies on consumer updates to locate areas without low-voltage supply, a backwards need in the digital era.

Following many delays, the installation of smart meters at households around the country is now estimated to begin late this year.

 

Smart meter installations to combat rising electricity theft

The replacement of conventional power meters around the country with digital power meters planned by distribution network operator DEDDIE/HEDNO, a long-awaited project now scheduled to commence in 2022 and be completed by 2030, will reduce electricity theft by an average of 5.1 percent per year between 2020 and 2031, eventually reducing it to 0.2 percent of overall consumption, a level registered in 2003 and 2004, RAE, the Regulatory Authority for Energy has projected.

Electricity theft in Greece has risen twentyfold over the past fifteen years. Even though DEDDIE/HEDNO has pointed out that the pandemic-induced economic slowdown since 2020 will raise obstacles in the effort to reduce electricity theft, RAE insists the installation of smart meters will directly combat the problem by enabling officials to swiftly identify where electricity theft is being committed.

Electricity theft in Greece has risen from 0.2 percent of overall consumption in 2003 and 2004, to 1.1 percent between 2011 and 2013, 3.9 percent in 2015 and 2016, and 4.4 percent in 2018 and 2019, official data has shown.

 

Crete-Athens grid link omitted from Greek RRF proposal

A grid interconnection to link Crete with Athens has been omitted from a national plan containing 112 projects for which financial support will be sought through the European Commission’s Recovery and Resilience Facility.

It was the energy sector’s only surprise omission from the government’s plan for RRF support, to be submitted to Greek Parliament within the next few days for ratification before being forwarded to the European Commission.

Even so, progress of the Crete-Athens grid interconnection project, vital for Crete’s energy sufficiency without reliance on high-cost local power stations, will not be affected by the decision as a number of other financing options remain available, authorities have stressed.

These include the National Strategic Reference Framework and the Just Transition Fund.

The national RRF plan was discussed at a cabinet meeting yesterday ahead of its presentation, planned for tomorrow.

A proposal for a 200 million-euro injection into the RES special account, facing deficit territory, has been included in the national plan.

Other key features of the plans are: the country’s energy efficiency upgrade program for homes, businesses and public buildings; the decarbonization plan; installation of smart meters; upgrade and undergrounding of transmission lines; as well as development of electric vehicle recharging infrastructure.

Network damages remind of need for system upgrade

Power outages in many parts of Greece, including hard-hit Athens, as a result of collapsing trees that damaged overhead power lines during heavy snowfall earlier this week, have triggered discussion about the need for underground distribution networks and the network’s overall reinforcement and improvement.

Also, the installation of 7.4 million smart power meters, a project budgeted at 800 million euros, is a priority, distribution network operator DEDDIE/HEDNO officials stressed in the wake of network damages inflicted by the snowstorms.

Distribution network investments have fallen behind over the past eight years, sliding from approximately 280 million euros in 2012 to 123 million euros in 2017 and 2018 before slightly rebounding to 135 million euros in 2019 and an unconfirmed 178 million euros in 2020.

This reduction in network investments by DEDDIE/HEDNO has stemmed from poor financial performances by parent company PPC, the power utility, during the aforementioned period.

“Ten years of economic crisis in Greece has led to slight infrastructure regression,” the recently appointed energy minister Kostas Skrekas noted late last night, while crews were working overtime to restore damages caused by Medea, as the extreme weather system was dubbed. “We have allotted 200 million euros of recovery fund money for underground cable investments,” the minister added.

Speaking at an energy conference yesterday, the ministry’s secretary-general Alexandra Sdoukou said government plans for an upgrade of the country’s power distribution network would result in investments anticipated to total 3.5 billion euros over the next decade.

China’s SGCC lodges complaint over DEDDIE sale exclusion

State Grid Corporation of China (SGCC) has filed a complaint with the European Commission after being barred by Greek power utility PPC from the sale of a 49 percent stake in its subsidiary DEDDIE/HEDNO, the distribution network operator, over conflict-of-interest concerns.

The Chinese firm, a strategic partner of Greek power grid operator IPTO with a 24 percent stake, has forwarded a letter to Brussels claiming PPC’s block breaches EU law.

According to the sale’s terms and conditions, any company with direct or indirect control of IPTO or any of its subsidiaries cannot participate in the DEDDIE/HEDNO sale because of conflict-of-interest issues.

SGCC’s Brussels initiative highlights the Chinese company’s strong interest in acquiring a stake and role in the distribution operator’s network. The prospective installation of 7.5 million digital power meters at private properties around the country is the major draw for SGCC, sources noted. DEDDIE/HEDNO also plans to digitize and upgrade its outdated network.

PPC has extended its first-round expression of interest deadline to February 19. A considerable number of companies seem intent to participate.

 

Investment funds targeted in operator DEDDIE’s 49% sale

Power utility PPC’s forthcoming sale of a 49 percent stake in subsidiary firm DEDDIE/HEDNO, the distribution network operator, will not be limited to potential buyers with energy-market backgrounds, according to the sale’s terms, published yesterday, suggesting the seller is aiming to attract investment funds.

DEDDIE/HEDNO’s investment plan for the next five years is worth 2.3 billion euros, including 850 million euros for a nationwide digital power meter upgrade, an amount the government will seek to draw from the EU recovery fund.

Three major infrastructure funds have already expressed unofficial interest in the operator’s sale through a market test staged by Goldman Sachs, sources informed.

The sale is planned to take place over two stages, beginning with expressions of interest by candidates until a January 29 deadline, followed by a second round of binding bids from second-round qualifiers.

They will be given access to a virtual data room for evaluations before binding offers are shaped and submitted.

The government will aim to complete DEDDIE/HEDNO’s partial privatization in the first half of 2021, energy minister Costis Hatzidakis noted during an online Capital Link Forum staged yesterday.

 

Smart meter 6-year installation plan forwarded for public consultation

Details of a DEDDIE/HEDNO distribution network operator project for the replacement of parent company power utility PPC’s old power meters around the country with digital meters have been included in a five-year, 2.3 billion-euro development plan prepared by the operator, just forwarded for public consultation.

The operator’s power meter upgrade, a project budgeted at 850 million euros and expected to require six years for completion, is expected to draw from the EU recovery fund.

The project will entail procurement and installation of 7.5 million smart meters for low-voltage consumers nationwide, as well as their inclusion in a new telemetric center with a capacity to host 8 million points.

Consumers stand to benefit from smart meters as the digital technology of these systems will enable monitoring of electricity consumption patterns and levels through home devices or web applications. As a result, consumers will be able to shift energy-intensive practices to lower-cost time zones.

Electricity suppliers will also gain from the conversion to smart meters as these new systems will permit suppliers to shape demand-based pricing policies, offering flexibility to consumers for more competitive packages.

Energy ministry seeks recovery fund support for many domains

The energy ministry, seeking to ensure EU recovery-fund support for mature projects in key energy-related domains, has proposed their inclusion in a national plan whose first draft will be submitted by the government to the European Commission this month.

Greece is entitled to approximately 32 billion euros from the EU recovery fund, worth a total of 750 billion euros (390bn in subsidies and 360bn in loans) and established to counter the impact of the global pandemic.

Approximately 37 percent of the recovery funds will be used for green-energy development.

Energy efficiency upgrades of buildings; grid interconnections and RES initiatives, including energy storage; electromobility; nature protection; decarbonization; spatial planning for RES development; solid and liquid waste management; and smart power meter installations, a severely delayed project in Greece, are among the domains the energy ministry wants included in the national plan for EU recovery funds.

The energy ministry has previously sought support for some of these domains through the National Strategic Reference Framework.

A total of 130,000 efficiency upgrades of buildings have so far received subsidy support over a decade-long period through Greece’s Saving at Home program. The ministry is looking to significantly increase this rate to 60,000 upgrades per year through the recovery funds program.

Greece’s energy ministry will also seek recovery fund support for two major electricity interconnections – Crete’s major-scale interconnection,  to link the island’s grid with Athens; and the fourth phase of the Cyclades interconnection – both being developed by power grid operator IPTO.

 

PPC cautious with smart meter specifications following debacle

Power utility PPC is moving cautiously to set specifications for 7.5 million smart meters to be installed around the country following the debacle of a previous long-running effort, launched ten years ago, to no avail, for this mammoth project.

PPC and subsidiary DEDDIE/HEDNO, the distribution network operator, have been given authority by the energy ministry to prepare details of a new tender for the procurement and installation of smart meters that will replace conventional power meters throughout Greece.

A number of sub-tenders may be staged, given the size of the project, budgeted at approximately 850 million euros, sources said.

Authorities are likely to launch the new competitive procedure towards the end of this year or early next year.

The competitive procedure for smart meters is not linked to another procedure concerning the privatization of DEDDDIE/HEDNO, sources clarified in comments to energypress.

Regardless of its forthcoming privatization, DEDDDIE/HEDNO is carrying on with a company plan to modernize and upgrade its distribution network and infrastructure, the sources pointed out.

HEDNO preparing to announce latest smart meters tender

Distribution network operator DEDDIE/HEDNO is preparing to launch a latest tender, possibly within the next month, for the procurement and installation of 7.5 million smart power meters to replace conventional meters around the county.

The tender will also include a contract for the development of a telemetric center covering the entire country, sources informed.

Over the past decade or so, DEDDIE/HEDNO and parent company PPC, the power utility, have announced a series of tenders for the procurement and installation of smart meters, ultimately to no avail. They have either not taken place or not been completed.

The overall project, budgeted at 850 million euros, will mainly be funded through the recovery fund. The energy ministry has included the project with this fund.

DEDDIE/HEDNO and PPC are seeking to gain from various benefits offered by smart meters, including big cost savings for the corporate group, and added value to the operator’s facilities and distribution network ahead of a privatization planned by the government to offer a 49 percent stake.

The installation of smart meters also promises to help combat electricity theft and increase electricity market competition by enabling suppliers to charge customers based on real-time conditions with prices reflecting production and supply costs.

 

Network operator’s privatization may offer less than 49% limit

The government has set a 49 percent limit for the planned privatization of distribution network operator DEDDIE/HEDNO but the stake to be offered may end up being smaller.

A DEDDIE/HEDNO stake of up to 49 percent and increased rights for investors will be placed for sale, while the operator’s majority and management will remain under the control of power utility PPC, the operator’s parent company, the group’s chief executive Giorgos Stassis noted in an interview published by Greek daily Ta Nea over the weekend.

The size of the DEDDIE/HEDNO stake to be offered to investors will, on the one hand, depend on the amount of cash required by PPC to resolve financial matters for a path towards recovery, and, on the other, the ability of potential buyers to meet the price-tag demands of a major privatization.

DEDDIE/HEDNO’s assets are estimated to be worth 3.2 billion euros, meaning a 49 percent stake should cost potential buyers over 1.5 billion euros.

PPC has commissioned Goldman Sachs and Eurobank as the privatization’s consultants. The power utility’s administration would like to find a DEDDIE/HEDNO buyer by the end of the year.

An ambitious ten-year business plan for DEDDIE/HEDNO, one reflecting the lofty demands of the National Energy and Climate Plan, is being prepared for presentation to RAE, the Regulatory Authority for Energy, in about two months’ time.

DEDDIE/HEDNO will face the challenge of developing projects worth billions by 2030, including new interconnections and nationwide installation of smart meters.

 

Smart meters project plan tabled at PPC board meeting

The head officials of main power utility PPC and DEDDIE/HEDNO, the Hellenic Electricity Distribution Network Operator, have partially presented initiatives taken by the two firms for a major project entailing the withdrawal of the country’s 7.5 million conventional low-voltage power meters and replacement with digital meters.

However, this presentation, made at a recent PPC board meeting, was not completed as PPC board members deemed it should take place on a latter date, sources informed. Instead, the session focused on the presentation and endorsement of PPC’s financial results for 2018.

The plan for the project, budgeted at 1.2 billion euros, involves the establishment of a new DEDDIE/HEDNO subsidiary firm to take on the initiative, sources added.

The PPC and DEDDIE/HEDNO administrations anticipate major cost savings as well as an increase in the asset value concerning facilities and distribution networks once the new smart meters are installed. The new system is also expected to help clamp down on electricity theft.

Electricity market competition will also be intensified as the new smart meters will enable suppliers to charge consumers based on real-time conditions reflecting production and supply costs.

The country’s existing power meters are a PPC asset while the distribution network belongs to DEDDIE/HEDNO.

A previous effort to replace the country’s analogue-technology power meters was bogged down by various complications.

Operator awaiting court details to unveil new power meter plan

The chief official at DEDDIE/HEDNO, the Hellenic Electricity Distribution Network Operator, is awaiting the official cancellation of a failed tender launched over five years ago for the installation of digital power meters before presenting a new plan.

The initial tender, launched back in 2013 as a pilot program for the installation of a first lot of 200,000 smart meters in various parts of the country, proved fruitless after bidders legally challenged rival participants, and vice versa, halting the process.

Stefanos Oktapodas, the head official at DEDDIE/HEDNO, intends to present the operator’s new plan for the installation of 7.5 million digital power meters throughout the country, in place of the old conventional meters, once the Council of State, Greece’s Supreme Administrative Court, delivers the finalized details of its verdict cancelling the initial tender.

An effort will be made for the local production of a proportion of the smart meters to be used, it is believed.

DEDDIE/HEDNO is considering establishing a special purpose vehicle (SPV), as a subsidiary firm, for the project.

 

 

Smart meters project dormant, PPC hesitancy not helping

A long-running effort for the replacement of 7.5 million old analogue-technology power meters around the country with new digital smart meters remains bogged down by various complications and is depriving the Greek economy of a mammoth investment worth around 1.2 billion euros.

According to sources, DEDDIE/HEDNO, the Hellenic Electricity Distribution Network Operator, has remained dormant on the issue and, for the time being, is limiting its activity to occasional installations of new smart meters – from a stock of 230,000 meters acquired several months ago – at new buildings or older properties whenever requested by customers, for replacements of older dysfunctional power meters.

In an effort to invigorate the process, the operator’s deputy chief, Thanassis Misdanitis, tabled a proposal to the energy ministry last October entailing the establishment of a DEDDIE subsidiary to which PPC’s old power meters would be transferred as collateral to enable financing for the phasing out and replacement of these older meters. Their total asset value is estimated at 200 million euros.

According to sources, the energy ministry likes the idea but no progress has been made as state-controlled PPC has reacted against the transfer of its assets to another company.

It is believed the establishment of an SPV would lead to the installation of 7.5 million smart meters within five to seven years.

Both DEDDIE and electricity suppliers would greatly benefit. DEDDIE could limit leakages and better identify network faults, while power suppliers would gain the ability to offer consumers more competitive and flexible products adjusted to a greater number or customer profiles.

RAE reacts against PPC intention for smart meters role

RAE, the Regulatory Authority for Energy, appears set to take action against recent remarks by the main power utility PPC’s leadership, seeking active roles for the utility in the reshaping of a troubled model concerning the replacement of Greece’s conventional power meters with digital-technology systems and the project’s implementation.

Speaking at a recent shareholders’ meeting, Manolis Panagiotakis, PPC’s boss, made clear he wants a leading overall role for the power utility in this project.

A leading RAE official told energypress that the authority was troubled by the remarks as “a power supply company – regardless of the fact that it is the parent company of DEDDIE/HEDNO, Greece’s Electricity Distribution Network Operator – supports that it must have a say and role in the smart meters installation plan and all matters concerning the management of the distribution network.”

The RAE official contested that the power utility has no right to intervene and comment on whether power meters will be replaced and in what way, as well as on any other issues within the operator’s realm of responsibility.

A PPC official countered that it would be preferable if the authority’s annoyance was directed at the project’s major delay, adding that related decisions made until now have not managed to overcome problems amid a changed environment in order to enable the project to progress.

Panagiotakis told PPC shareholders that the power meters replacement plan needs to be re-examined virtually from scratch – regardless of the outcome of the project’s pilot plan.

PPC is seeking a leading role through this re-examination as the utility wants to secure an active role in the power meters upgrade, seen as a key aspect in the future developments of the electricity market.

The grid currently represents the utility’s biggest asset and could gain even greater value amid the wider scene being shaped by European policies and technological advancements, the CEO told shareholders. Subsequently, PPC and DEDDIE/HEDNO need to maintain their parent company-subsidiary relationship on matters concerning the grid’s development, modernization, efficiency, utilization and strategy, even if RAE does has a say in some of these issues, the PPC boss added.

According to the original plan, the entire project was scheduled to be completed by 2020, now ruled out as impossible.

The project’s total cost was originally estimated at 1.2 billion euros but this figure is expected to fall to a level of around 800 million euros as the technology to be used matures and related purchase prices deescalate.

The installation of digital power meters in Greece is both a necessity and obligation promising to radically change how the electricity market operates and offer benefits to consumers. The country’s lenders have demanded a clear-cut development time frame in the bailout agreement.

 

 

 

 

PPC to push for fully reshaped smart meters plan, active role

The main power utility PPC, in association with its subsidiary DEDDIE/HEDNO, Greece’s Electricity Distribution Network Operator, wants a troubled model concerning the replacement of Greece’s conventional power meters with digital-technology systems to be fully reshaped, and is also seeking an active role, the power utility’s CEO Manolis Panagiotakis told journalists yesterday on the sidelines of a general shareholders’ meeting.

An older pilot plan prepared by DEDDIE/HEDNO concerning the installation of 200,000 digital power meters as a lead up to the full-scale project has been severely bogged down by issues, including appeals and legal disputes between bidders, prompting the need for a new business model.

PPC’s boss attributed the disputes to the initial model’s scale, which he believes is over-sized and has therefore incited candidates to regard the pilot program as a preliminary step assuring contracts for the full-scale project.

In his comments yesterday, Panagiotakis said the staging of two or three smaller pilot projects in provincial cities could be a more effective approach. He also implied the procedure’s current model will need to be reexamined and comprehensively redesigned from scratch.

All possible models will need to be explored, including public-private partnerships, the PPC boss told.

As was recently disclosed by energypress, French electricity distribution network operator ENEDIS has expressed an interest to take part in such an entrepreneurial team for the installation of digital power meters.

According to the original plan, the entire project was scheduled to be completed by 2020, now ruled out as impossible.

The project’s total cost was originally estimated at 1.2 billion euros but this figure is expected to fall to a level of around 800 million euros as the technology to be used matures and related purchase prices deescalate.

The installation of digital power meters in Greece is both a necessity and obligation promising to radically change how the electricity market operates and offer benefits to consumers. The country’s lenders have demanded a clear-cut development time frame in the bailout agreement.

 

 

 

 

France’s Enedis wants role in derailed smart meters project

French electricity distribution network operator ENEDIS has expressed an interest to take part in an entrepreneurial team for the replacement of Greece’s conventional power meters with digital-technology systems.

An older pilot plan concerning the installation of 200,000 digital power meters as a lead up to the full-scale project has been severely bogged down by issues, including appeals and legal disputes between bidders, prompting the need for a new business model.

According to the original plan, the entire project was scheduled to be completed by 2020. DEDDIE/HEDNO, Greece’s Electricity Distribution Network Operator, is now aiming to launch the project’s development, based on a new business model, within the current year, if possible.

Just days ago, a team of leading ENEDIS officials, joined by French energy regulatory authority officials, travelled to Athens to offer a detailed presentation of their proposal to DEDDIE/HEDNO, RAE (Regulatory Authority for Energy) and energy ministry officials. Based on a model already implemented in France, the plan would bring together the public and private sectors for a joint venture.

DEDDIE/HEDNO would hold a stake of no less than 51 percent in this venture, while the rest of the team would be comprised of private-sector firms selected through an international tender and banks. ENEDIS is striving to be included in this framework. The European Investment Bank (EIB), which has previously supported other DEDDIE/HEDNO infrastructure projects, is believed to also be interested.

The French model, initially discussed by French President Emmanuel Macron during an official visit to Athens last September, appears to have convinced the heads at Greece’s energy ministry and RAE. However, final decisions have yet to be reached. The main power utility PPC has expressed reservations, if not objections.

According to the French proposal, a business team, joined by the operator – DEDDIE/HEDNO in Greece’s case – would take on financing, procurement and installation of the digital power meters. Also, consumer repayment of the part of the project’s cost not covered by EU development fund subsidies would be delayed by a few years in exchange for a predetermined interest rate. Once consumers eventually begin servicing the repayment process, a reduction of overall consumer energy costs can be anticipated as a result of energy savings promised by the smart meters. Network surcharge increases, it is estimated, will be offset by electricity bill amount reductions, according to the French proposal.

The project’s total cost is currently estimated at 1.2 billion euros but this figure is expected to fall to a level of around 800 million euros as the technology to be used matures and related purchase prices deescalate.

The installation of digital power meters in Greece is both a necessity and obligation promising to radically change how the electricity market operates. The country’s lenders have demanded a clear-cut development time frame in the bailout agreement.

 

 

 

Smart meters delay prompts private-public sector model

HEDNO, the Hellenic Electricity Distribution Network Operator SA, locally acroymed DEDDIE, has worked on a new business model to bring together the private and public sectors for supply and replacement of the country’s conventional power meters with new-tech digital versions.

The need for a new business model was sparked by inefficiencies and major delays encountered through a competitive bidding process used for the project’s pilot program, entailing supply and installation of 200,000 smart meters.

A tender for this pilot stage was launched in 2014 and has since been bogged down by seven legal cases filed by three participating teams – ΟΤΕ, Intrakat-Intrasoft International; Intracom Telecom and a Microdata – SMEC partnership.

The new approach was forged through collaboration between HEDNO and French network operator Enedis. It has already been presented to the main power utility PPC. A presentation was offered to energy minister Giorgos Stathakis on Friday.

The project’s original schedule, which had envisioned the installation of smart meters for the entire country by 2020, is no longer feasible. HEDNO is now aiming to launch the project, based on the new business model, within the current year. A total of 7.5 million smart meters will eventually be installed.

HEDNO is expected to take part in the private-public sector venture with a stake of no less than 51 percent. Private-sector firms, to be selected through a competitive process, as well as banks, are expected to be on board. The involvement of the European Investment Bank (EIB), which has financed other infrastructure projects developed by HEDNO, is seen as a certainty.

The project’s budget is currently estimated at 1.2 billion euros. However, a drop to 800 million euros is expected as a result of an anticipated decline in prices for smart meter technology during the time it will take to develop the project.

The installation of smart meters, both a need and bailout obligation for the country, promises to change the electricity market’s operating nature and offer benefits to consumers.

 

 

Procedures for 7.5 million smart meters ‘to begin in 2018’

HEDNO, the Hellenic Electricity Distribution Network Operator, locally acronymed DEDDIE, intends to begin proceedings in 2018 for the replacement of 7.5 million conventional power meters with smart meters, the operator’s president Nikos Hatziargyriou noted during an interview at European Utility Week, a key annual energy-sector event.

An international tender for a pilot program concerning the replacement of 200,000 old meters has been completed but this preliminary stage of the overall project has been held up by legal complexities involving the Council of State, Greece’s Supreme Administrative Court.

HEDNO is currently preparing a national rollout plan for the installment of 7.5 million smart meters around the country over the next few years, Hatziargyriou informed.

The HEDNO boss also told that he envisions the operator becoming one of Europe’s ten leading distribution system operators based on a combination of quality services, low cost and environmental protection awarness.

Cooperation and exchange of knowhow with leading European operators, the objective being to explore opportunities offered by innovation and new technologies, is a key concern at HEDNO, Hatziargyriou pointed out.

DEDDIE is also exploring a“smart island” plan entailing major RES penetration at levels of over 60 percent on non-interconnected islands and use of storage cells to cover needs for considerable time periods each year, the operator’s head noted, while admitting this represents an ambitious plan which, to the best of his knowledge, has yet to be implemented anywhere on any non-interconnected island.

Smart network development to dominate Enedis, DEDDIE talks today

Leading officials of French electric grid operator Enedis, a subsidiary of French electric utilty EDF, are scheduled to meet today with the chief of HEDNO, Hellenic Electricity Distribution Network Operator SA, in Athens for a session to be dominated by the prospects of digital technology development in electricity networks.

Though the meeting coincides with President Emmanuel Macron’s official two-day visit to Greece, concluding today, it had been arranged prior to the official announcement of this trip by the French leader.

Christian Buchel, the deputy at Enedis, and other company officials will meet with HEDNO president Nikos Hatziargyriou.

A major player in its field, Enedis operates low and medium-voltage networks measuring over 1.3 million kilometers and employs approximately 35,000 persons.

The global development of “smart” digital systems in the electricity networks field is expected to constitute a key part of the talks between Buchel, Hatziargyriou and other officials. The two sides will discuss the prospect of working together for development in this sector.

The use of digital technology systems for electricity networks is widely seen as necessary for the improvement of network management, optimal incorporation and penetration of RES systems, better overall efficiency and more active consumer roles.

Besides his deputy role at Enedis, Buchel is also president of the European Distribution System Operators’ Association for Smart Grids, supporting the development of smart networks. HEDNO, locally acronymed DEDDIE, is also a member of this assoication.

Digital meters tender appeal rejected, high court to decide

HEDNO, the Hellenic Electricity Distribution Network Operator, has rejected an extrajudicial initiave taken by a consortium comprised of OTE, Intrakat and Intrasoft International, the losing bidder of a pilot tender concerning the procurement and installation of an initial lot of 200,000 digital power meters for low-voltage household and small-scale commerical use in various parts of the country.

A final decision is now expected from the Council of State, Greece’s Supreme Administrative Court, following a case filed by the trio against Intracom Telecom, the tender’s winning bidder.

The Supreme Court accepted a legal case filed by OTE-Intrakat-Intrasoft International in March and sought clarification from HEDNO on its decision to delare Intracom Telecom the tender’s winner. Two key issues concern the Council of State. It has sought confirmation from the winning bidder on the inclusion of an option for the procurement and installation of an additional 50,000 digtal power meters besides a basic plan for 160,000 meters. The court has also sought further details as to whether the offer made by the winning bidder is unusually low, as claimed by the losing OTE-Intrakat-Intrasoft International consortium.

Intracom Telecom submitted a 46 million-euro offer to take on the smart meters pilot project, compared to a 62 million-euro offer made by OTE, Intrakat and Intrasoft International.

The pilot tender is being staged as a prelude to the project’s main tender, entailing the procurement and installation of approximately six million digital power meters throughout Greece. This project’s budget is estimated to be worth over one billion euros.

The initial tender is of crucial importance as two technologies, power line carriers and wireless GPRS/3G systems, will be tested ahead of the main tender.