Siemens Metering Services has signed a new, five-year meter reading data collection agreement with British Gas. The contract, valued in excess of £100 million, solidifies Siemens position as the leading independent supplier of metering services in the UK.

Mexico’s state power company, the Federal Electricity Commission (CFE), has successfully integrated Elster’s EnergyAxis Management System with CFE’s customer information and billing systems. According to Elster, the two-way integration allows CFE “to automate its data collection process, detect non-technical losses, improve customer service and execute remote disconnections more quickly and cost effectively.” Elster is the first AMI provider to receive a Certificate of Compliance from CFE.

Demand Response provider Energate has formed a strategic partnership with Smart Grid solutions provider Silver Spring Networks to offer a complete Demand Response solution to utilities.

Just seven years after its founding, ITC Holdings is the leading electric transmission company in the American Midwest, serving more than 13 million customers over five states. The company’s service area covers nearly 80,000 square miles that requires approximately 15,000 circuit miles of overhead and underground transmission lines which carry more than 25,000 megawatts of electric power.

California was the first state in the US to move ahead with full-scale deployment of smart meters.  That decision can be traced back to the energy crisis of 2000-01 which analysts showed was caused in part by the failure to transmit dynamic pricing signals to retail customers.