Landis+Gyr part of winning consortium for Smart Metering project in France

ERDF pilot installation covering 300,000 point of delivery

ZUG, Switzerland, 18 July 2008/PRNewswire/ — Landis+Gyr, the global leader in energy management, providing the next generation of "smart grid" solutions to utilities, announced today it is part of a consortium selected by ERDF for one of the largest smart metering pilot installations in Europe. ERDF is a subsidiary of French utility EDF.

The consortium, led by Atos Origin, the international information technology company, has been selected in a public tender process for a pilot project encompassing 300,000 Power Line Communication (PLC) meters and 7,000 concentrators in France. The project roll-out is expected to start early in 2010. Landis+Gyr will manufacture half of the data concentrators and one third of the metering devices. The outcome of this pilot installation will be key for the 2nd phase, the world's largest smart metering project covering the deployment of 35 million meters.

The advanced meter management (AMM) solution provided by the consortium enables a two-way flow of data required to manage energy use, efficiency, demand response and network protection. The communication is not limited to data but also includes information about consumption, tariffs, alerts and complimentary services.

By deploying this smart metering solution ERDF is preempting changes in the European regulation governing the electricity distribution sector. ERDF has defined, amongst others, the scalability of the system, the use of open communication protocols, the interoperability of components and systems and the expected reduction of operating costs to justify the ROI, as key objectives and selection criteria for the pilot project.

"The project win underscores Landis+Gyr's rank as the worldwide leader in electricity metering with a preeminent position in smart metering", said Cameron O'Reilly, Chief Executive Officer of Landis+Gyr. "We are ready and committed to play a significant role in the world's largest smart metering project."

Andreas Umbach, Chief Operating Officer, added, "ERDF's decision to choose our PLC technology confirms our leadership in this field. In addition, we played an important role in sharing our skills and knowledge with ERDF to ensure the interoperability and seamless integration of the various components to the sophisticated total solution our customer requires. In addition, our technology will allow ERDF consumers to see real-time pricing on their bills, such as time of use, time of year, and time of day. This will give consumers the ability to make informed decisions regards how to use power efficiently and effectively."

Currently, Landis+Gyr is the only company in the winning consortium that assembles residential meters for ERDF in France, carried out at Montlucon. As a result of a long-term partnership, Landis+Gyr has delivered a variety of electricity meters both with and without communication to EDF over the years. Currently, more than 10,000 of EDF's I&C meters have been equipped with Landis+Gyr's PLC technology.

Recently, Landis+Gyr also announced a major four-year advanced metering contract with Texas utility Oncor, with 3 million points of delivery, at a total investment of US$690m.

About Landis+Gyr

Landis+Gyr is the leading provider of integrated energy management solutions tailored to energy company needs. With a global presence and a reputation for quality and innovation, Landis+Gyr is unique in its ability to deliver true end-to-end advanced metering solutions. Today, the Company offers the broadest portfolio of products and services in the electricity metering industry, and is paving the way for the next generation of smart grid. With annualized sales of more than US$1.25 billion, Landis+Gyr operates in 30 countries across five continents, and employs over 5,000 people with the sole mission of helping the world manage energy better.