On October 21, ERM West officially launched the second stage of one of its most significant digitalization projects - the implementation of a Meter Data Management (MDM) system. The project is part of a larger program to build an Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI), which will change the way the company collects and uses data, manages the electricity distribution network and provides services to its customers. The first phase includes the implementation of smart meters and the necessary communication infrastructure - modems, hubs and filters. The second stage, which is starting now, is the integration of the MDM system.
„This is not a project of just one direction or one directorate. It affects the entire company and practically all of our core processes. The benefits of it will reach every unit in ERM West and, most importantly, our customers“, said ERM West Executive Director Radoslav Tsvetkov at the launch of the project.
„At ERM West, we use every opportunity for European funding so that investments in network modernization do not affect the price for end customers. In 2023, we won funds under the European Union Modernization Fund for 100 percent financing of this project“, added Tsvetkov.
From remote metering to data-driven management
The introduction of smart meters is often associated primarily with remote metering. For ERM West, however, the real change is much larger.
The MDM system will collect, store, process, analyze and validate measurement data. It will ensure their unification and will allow their use by the company's various information and technological systems - for billing of consumed electricity, monitoring and management of the network, analysis of losses and improvement of the quality of the power supply.
„The most important thing is not the ability to remotely measure electricity. The significant change is that we will have much more structured and unified data and we will be able to use it in network management. Currently, we have about one million “smart” electricity meters installed, which is a solid foundation“, emphasized Tsvetkov.
New opportunities for customers too
The digitalization of the metering infrastructure will also have a direct effect on customer services. With the gradual development of the system, they will have more information about their own consumption and the ability to track it. According to Tsvetkov, these opportunities will become increasingly important with the development of decentralized production, the entry of electromobility and the active participation of consumers in the market. The implementation of MDM means not only a technological modernization of the ERM West network, but is also a necessary part of its preparation for the green transition.
Partners with proven experience
The preparation for the project lasted several years. For its implementation, the company will work with the Bulgarian company Kontrax and the German Cuculus, specializing in software and technology solutions for the utility sector and operating in markets in Europe, the Middle East and Asia.
With Kontrax, ERM West has a long-standing partnership, within which nearly 500,000 smart meters have already been implemented.
“For a project of such scale and importance, it was important to choose partners with real experience in the sector and with solutions proven in practice“, commented Tsvetkov.
An ambitious schedule
The planned implementation period for the project is 18 months, with the main equipment to be delivered and its installation to begin in April 2027.
“Our expectations for the project are high and the deadlines are ambitious. We thank the Ministry of Energy and Minister Iva Petrova and her team for their cooperation. The next tranche of the Modernization Fund is about to be provided, through which we will implement the project within the planned deadlines“, he added.
For ERM West, the implementation of MDM is one of the main steps towards building a more intelligent electricity distribution network – a network in which data becomes a tool for better management, lower losses, higher efficiency and better quality services.
“There is a lot of work ahead. We have a strong team, proven partners and a clear goal. I wish success to everyone who will participate in the implementation of this important project for ERM West“, concluded Radoslav Tsvetkov.