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.