Smart meter installation and support contracts awarded to Corix, Capgemini, BC Hydro announces
JANUARY 25, 2011 BY SCOTT SIMPSON, VANCOUVER SUN COMMENTS
Corix Utilities has won a $73 million installation contract in BC
British Columbia’s Corix Utilities has won a $73 million contract to install new power meters for BC Hydro’s smart meter program.
Hydro announced Tuesday that it has also awarded a $65 million contract to global technology and consulting firm Capgemini to provide information technology and telecommunications support to integrate the new metering system into Hydro’s grid.
The Corix contract “will result in an estimated $30-$40 million in direct wage benefits in B.C. through the hiring and training of a labour force of over 350 to complete the project,” Hydro said in a news release.
Hydro said installations will begin later this year. Corix is replacing Hydro’s existing mechanical meters with digital ones that can collect a greater range of power consumption data than is possible at present.
For example, Hydro believes the meters will serve as a deterrent to electricity theft.
As well, Hydro will know almost immediately if there’s a local blackout instead of waiting for customers to phone them with the information.
Corix will open seven regional offices to facilitate the installations – in Surrey, Prince George, Terrace, Victoria, Burnaby, Kamloops and Cranbrook.
“Corix has both strong local knowledge and broad experience and has performed over 10 million meter exchanges and other device installations and retrofits for various gas, water and electric utilities, helping the utilities make smooth transitions from traditional meter reading to automation. The contract is worth approximately $73 million over the next two years,” Hydro said in the release.
“Capgemini will provide project management services and systems integration, along with the information technology and telecommunications to support the integration of the smart metering system into key BC Hydro business functions such as outage management and customer billing,” Hydro said. “The three-year contract is worth approximately $65 million.”
“The Smart Metering Program will modernize our electricity system and provide extensive benefits for our province for generations to come,” Hydro deputy CEO Bev Van Ruyven said in the release. “Smart meters give us a valuable opportunity to work directly with our customers and it was essential that we have experienced and specialized companies like Capgemini and Corix to ensure the program is successful for everyone involved.”
Hydro said it is still researching potential companies for the smart meter manufacturing and the meter data management system.
Meter deployment across the province will begin in mid-2011 and conclude at the end of 2012.
“Early this year, customers will begin to receive notification that meters are coming to their community and information about what they can expect. For most customers, installation will be simple and will only take a matter of minutes.”
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