Itron Signs Contract to Deploy OpenWay Riva IoT Solution for Samoan Utility

Itron, Inc., which is innovating the way utilities and cities manage energy and water, will deploy its OpenWay Riva IoT solution, smart meters and Itron Prepayment Management Platform (IPMP) support system for Electric Power Corporation (EPC) in Samoa to improve vending channels for prepaid electricity and increase awareness of the distribution system. Minimizing a lengthy implementation process, Itron will host OpenWay Riva and IPMP and provide them as a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) to the utility. Itron will also provide project management, meter installation and training.

Serving two major islands in Samoa in the South Pacific, EPC has nearly 40,000 customers and is currently limited to PC-based point-of-sale terminals for new and existing prepayment customers. With IPMP, the customers will be able to pay their bills through a self-service internet portal, Android-based point of sale terminals and smart phone applications. In addition, the OpenWay Riva platform has the ability to offer significant advantages for the electricity distribution system such as outage detection, conservation voltage reduction (CVR), theft detection, demand response and the ability to detect unsafe conditions.

“This solution will modernize our existing electricity system and empower us to sell electricity in a more innovative and convenient way to improve consumer satisfaction through accessibility, monitoring and management of their electricity usage,” said Tologata Tile Leia Tuimalealiifano, EPC general manager. “By harnessing Itron’s hardware and software, we will also be able to manage our electricity quality efficiently and reduce the time and effort needed to set up and manage the network.”

“Utilizing our OpenWay Riva solution, EPC will be one of the first utilities to utilize our smart meters for electricity payment on IPMP and enable its customers to easily access and pay for electricity,” said Mark Atkinson, director of sales, Australia- Pacific at Itron. “Itron is excited to collaborate with EPC to implement a modern, intelligent network to realize new business value and smart grid capabilities in the South Pacific.”