PGE to Get AMR Meter Data Management System from ABB

ABB and Whisper Will Provide PGE Complete Wireless Meter Data Management Solution

ABB Electricity Metering announced today that Portland General Electric (PGE) has agreed to purchase ABB's EnergyAxis' AMR Server. This comprehensive large-scale meter data collection and management system provides the platform for meter data operations, addressing advanced energy information management demands including collection, communications, storage, management and publishing of meter data. The system will also support new customer services such as preferred billing due date.

The contract provides PGE with a comprehensive approach to complete meter data management, including:

• remote metering, high-volume data warehousing and management for metered data;
• ABB's market-leading ALPHA electronic meters;
• ALPHA STARS communications software and hardware for accessing data remotely from the meter;
• an interface with Whisper Communications' e-Telemetry network management software and other PGE enterprise systems;
• and the ability to add a variety of communications services in the future based on PGE's needs.

"We are pleased that PGE has chosen ABB's AMR Server as its meter data management solution," said Dr. John Reckleff, executive vice president and general manager of ABB Electricity Metering. "PGE has been a leader in the utility industry, moving beyond the boundaries of the typical electric utility by developing innovative services that meet the growing needs of its customers."

How the AMR Server Works
The AMR Server represents a new model for utility business transactions in regulated and deregulated energy markets. The AMR Server is scalable and allows functions and business processes to be distributed over systems and geographical areas. Timely energy information is collected, processed, stored and published as each business process requires – such as scheduling coordination, load forecasting, billing and customer service. The AMR Server is designed to support quick and accurate distribution of data to other business entities as new businesses or applications are developed.

Communications of the Meter Data
ABB has joined forces with Whisper Communications Inc. to deliver a multi-faceted system solution to PGE. Whisper's wireless network delivers e-Telemetry solutions for remotely monitoring, measuring, messaging and controlling devices at fixed locations. As part of contracts with PGE, Whisper will deliver the fixed communication network that will interface with ABB's ALPHA meters and AMR Server.

Edited by Stephen Heiser