TECNALIA develops new projects with middle eastern electricity companies to pass on knowledge regarding AMI (Advanced Metering Infrastructure) systems

Over the past 10 years, TECNALIA has undertaken a number of projects to support electricity companies in the specification, development of assessment tools and certification of AMI system equipment.

Both communications and data protocols are indispensable elements of the system. The people involved in deploying them, most of whom are electrical engineers rather than telecommunications or IT engineers, find it difficult to define them.

In the last three years, TECNALIA has provided technical advice to companies in Europe, Latin America and the Middle East. Projects already completed in the Middle East include the development of specifications and a software tool for testing the DLMS protocol for SEC (Saudi Electricity Company); the development of a testing tool and the implementation of certification processes for EDL (Electricité du Lebanon); and technical advice on the procurement process for the roll-out of the AMI system, also for SEC.

TECNALIA is currently working on a new project with Kahramaa, a Qatari electricity company, to train the company's staff and develop data protocol specifications. Due to the problems caused by COVID-19, it is being carried out remotely, which is not only a technological challenge but also a cultural one.