Tender for “smart counters" by the end of 2015 – Work totaling EUR 80 m

By the end of this year, Serbia will release a tender for implementation of so-called smart counters at the Electric Power Industry of Serbia (EPS) whose value was estimated at EUR 80 m, it was published at the website of EPS.

The tender is expected in November and it has been estimated that the value of smart counters implementation, when taking into account the condition of electrical and energy sector in Serbia, number and types of customers and measuring infrastructure condition, will reach EUR 500 m and that the implementation of the project will last around seven years, president of the Group of electricity measuring equipment producer in the Serbian Chamber of Commerce, Jovan Vujasinovic, said for Tanjug

After in 2010, EPS strategically opted for usage of "smart counters", local producers organized themselves and they are preparing to be the owners of its mass implementation in Serbia and such a reference could enable them become exporters of domestic technology in Europe and in the world, Vujasinovic said.

Local smart counter producers are organized and active through the Group of electricity measuring equipment producer in the Serbian Chamber of Commerce and so far they together with associates poured more than EUR 15 m in product development, equipping of modern production lines for counter components production, testing labs, research and authorization of counters, he said.

Thus, at least 300 vacancies opened with engagement of associates at the program and the plan is that 2000 people live from this job..

- If implementation of this project in Serbia is entrusted to Serbian companies, additional EUR 15 m will be poured as well as more than 1500 vacancies - Vujasinovic said.

If the work is entrusted to them it is estimated that two thirds of the work value would stay in Serbia through production material produced in the country, salaries and various taxes and contributions which fits to effects of direct foreign investment totaling EUR 350 m, he added.

The Ministry of Energy and EPS will look for the way for Serbia generates all potential benefits through smart counter implementation.

Smart counters implementation implies implementation of the two-way communication system with counters with an objective of distant consumption profile measurement, events at measuring spot, delivered electricity quality as well as consumption management and for more than 20 years local producers have been developing products of counter generation enabling distant reading, monitoring and consumption management, he outlines.