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May 13, 2009
ERDF selects Steria to support implementation of 35 million new-generation smart meters.
In 2008, ERDF chose Steria to develop a system to manage the deployment of its Linky smart meters. The Linky meters will be tested in 2010 ahead of a planned roll out of 35 million electric meters in France from 2012 to 2016.
Working together, Steria and ERDF teams have successfully completed phase one and launched production of the first version of the application. It will allow the scheduling of meter installations, the planning and monitoring of preparatory works, and the coordination of the progressive rollout of the Linky meters. Preparations are now complete for ERDF to launch the test phase, which will be ongoing until October 2010 and will enable the installation of approximately 5,000 hubs and the replacement of 300,000 meters in Indre-et-Loire and in the Lyon area starting in March 2010.
Working together, Steria and ERDF teams have successfully completed phase one and launched production of the first version of the application. It will allow the scheduling of meter installations, the planning and monitoring of preparatory works, and the coordination of the progressive rollout of the Linky meters. Preparations are now complete for ERDF to launch the test phase, which will be ongoing until October 2010 and will enable the installation of approximately 5,000 hubs and the replacement of 300,000 meters in Indre-et-Loire and in the Lyon area starting in March 2010.
ERDF, an EDF group subsidiary created in 2008, is responsible for operating, managing and developing the public electricity distribution network. ERDF operates 1,256,000 km of networks, or 95% of the continental distribution network.
As a player on an open energy market, ERDF is aiming to modernise the electricity distribution network and improve the performance of its metering system in order to better meet its users' new and growing demands. In connection with the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC), ERDF has decided to test 300,000 smart meters in 2010. The ERC's and ERDF's feedback from this experiment will determine the go-ahead to extend it to France's 35 million traditional electric meters between 2012 and 2016.
Steria is a key player in this large-scale project as the developer of the entire rollout information system: prior to the test phase (beginning in June, 2008), during the test phase (from April 2009 to October 2010), to contribute to feedback (end 2010), and then during the extension phase (2012 to 2016). The rollout information system plays a crucial role at the heart of the system by feeding the Linky Information system, which will be in charge of the supervision and administration of the meters once they have been implemented. It will be used to manage the replacement of 3,000 meters per day in Indre-et-Loire and in the Lyon area during the first phase, and then of 35,000 meters per day throughout the territory during the extension phase.
The challenges of industrialising, securing and improving the reliability of the Information System development process are all central to Steria's mission to provide all project players, ERDF or outside on-site contributors, with a service platform that meets their increased expectations of flexibility, reliability, performance and easy access to information. The Rollout Information System will allow the effective management of the replacement of the 35 million traditional electric meters with smart meters, while guaranteeing the parametering of the new meters as well as the quality and security of all data exchanges.
"The Rollout Information System is an essential building block in the plan to implement 35 million new-generation meters. By processing millions of pieces of information gathered during the meter installation operations, we will be able to measure the quality of the service provided so that we can both better meet our customers' expectations and better measure our performances for a continuous improvement of our processes.
Steria has just finalised the first operational phase of the project on time and within budget. This first phase was extremely important as the entire remainder of the project, up to the installation of the first meter in 2010, is dependent on it. Its successful completion is due to the talent and the drive displayed by the Steria and ERDF teams, who work in an entirely integrated manner using an innovative project-management methodology," explains Mr Jean Vigneron, Managing Director for Metering at ERDF.
"Handling high volumes right from the test phase is one of the challenges ERDF has asked us to meet, by developing the system to coordinate the replacement of 35 million electric meters. With the completion of this first stage within a very short timeframe, we have been able to demonstrate the validity of the entire technical solution we had offered, and we are convinced that we are going to design a high-performing Rollout Information System, based on BEA solutions and our Webtransfer[1] tool for on-site work, that can support ERDF throughout this initial test phase, as well as during the upcoming extension phase," explains Steria's Project Director Michel Cordier.
As a player on an open energy market, ERDF is aiming to modernise the electricity distribution network and improve the performance of its metering system in order to better meet its users' new and growing demands. In connection with the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC), ERDF has decided to test 300,000 smart meters in 2010. The ERC's and ERDF's feedback from this experiment will determine the go-ahead to extend it to France's 35 million traditional electric meters between 2012 and 2016.
Steria is a key player in this large-scale project as the developer of the entire rollout information system: prior to the test phase (beginning in June, 2008), during the test phase (from April 2009 to October 2010), to contribute to feedback (end 2010), and then during the extension phase (2012 to 2016). The rollout information system plays a crucial role at the heart of the system by feeding the Linky Information system, which will be in charge of the supervision and administration of the meters once they have been implemented. It will be used to manage the replacement of 3,000 meters per day in Indre-et-Loire and in the Lyon area during the first phase, and then of 35,000 meters per day throughout the territory during the extension phase.
The challenges of industrialising, securing and improving the reliability of the Information System development process are all central to Steria's mission to provide all project players, ERDF or outside on-site contributors, with a service platform that meets their increased expectations of flexibility, reliability, performance and easy access to information. The Rollout Information System will allow the effective management of the replacement of the 35 million traditional electric meters with smart meters, while guaranteeing the parametering of the new meters as well as the quality and security of all data exchanges.
"The Rollout Information System is an essential building block in the plan to implement 35 million new-generation meters. By processing millions of pieces of information gathered during the meter installation operations, we will be able to measure the quality of the service provided so that we can both better meet our customers' expectations and better measure our performances for a continuous improvement of our processes.
Steria has just finalised the first operational phase of the project on time and within budget. This first phase was extremely important as the entire remainder of the project, up to the installation of the first meter in 2010, is dependent on it. Its successful completion is due to the talent and the drive displayed by the Steria and ERDF teams, who work in an entirely integrated manner using an innovative project-management methodology," explains Mr Jean Vigneron, Managing Director for Metering at ERDF.
"Handling high volumes right from the test phase is one of the challenges ERDF has asked us to meet, by developing the system to coordinate the replacement of 35 million electric meters. With the completion of this first stage within a very short timeframe, we have been able to demonstrate the validity of the entire technical solution we had offered, and we are convinced that we are going to design a high-performing Rollout Information System, based on BEA solutions and our Webtransfer[1] tool for on-site work, that can support ERDF throughout this initial test phase, as well as during the upcoming extension phase," explains Steria's Project Director Michel Cordier.
Schedule Overview:
- 5 March 2008: launch of the call for bids for ERDF's AMM (Automatic Meter Management) project's Rollout Information System.
- Arrival of Steria's teams on the Rollout Information System's project platform, opened in Lyon, on 30 June 2008.
- Test phase from April 2009 to October 2010: replacement of 100,000 meters in Indre-et-Loire, 200,000 meters in the Lyon region, and the installation of 5,000 concentrators in both regions.
- Feedback for the experiment by the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) and ERDF end 2010 for the decision to extend (go/no go).
- Extension phase from 2012 to 2016: replacement of the 35 million meters throughout France.
[1] The WebTransfer solution is a generic tool developed by Steria to model and exchange business data.