Ericsson to install 180,000 smart meters in Norway

Ericsson smart meter in Norway

Swedish multinational Ericsson is to deliver smart meters to about 180,000 consumers connected to the power grid of Norwegian energy company Skagerak Nett in Norway.

The companies have come together as part of large-scale modernization of the Norwegian power grid.

According to an official statement, the installation of the new smart electricity meters is to begin next year. And the project is expected to be completed by 2019.

Ericsson will be responsible for operations, support and maintenance of the devices and their network through the duration of the project.

The meters are expected to ensure not only transparency around power consumption charges but also to support efficiency in the consumption of power itself.

Smart meters also ensure reliability of electricity networks. According to an estimate, 800 million electricity consumers will be using smart meters by 2020.

They will not only save transmission and distribution costs, but also cut down carbon dioxide emissions by facilitating the transition to renewable energy.

Geir Kulås, the CEO of Skagerak Nett, says: “Taking on transformation approach will enable us to upgrade the grid to boost capacity and manage peak demands.”

Skagerak Nett is a wholly owned subsidiary of Skagerak Energi and is one of the largest network companies in Norway with 185,000 customers.

Charlotta Sund, the president of Ericsson’s Northern Europe and Central Asia region, says: “This deal strengthens the ICT-profile of the energy industry in Norway. The main drivers of smart grid are sustainable energy supply, distributed generation and energy efficiency.”

More than 42 million smart meters around the world, including those in the Nordic region covering Sweden, Finland and Estonia, are enabled by platforms developed, operated or maintained by Ericsson.

Ajith Kumar S

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