Poland’s PGE Dystrybucja’s smart meter rollout to get underway

Polish DSO PGE Dystrybucja has awarded the first phase of its smart meters rollout in Poland to Jiangsu Linyang Energy’s Polish unit Elgama Elektronika.

Under the tender, which has a value of PLN225.8 million (US$54 million) the Chinese metering manufacturer’s subsidiary will supply single-phase smart meters and three-phase smart meters to PGE Dystrybucja over a period of 18 months.

While the number of meters involved in the tender has not been specified, in order to meet the country’s requirement that remote reading meters are installed for all end users by July 2031, PGE Dystrybucja has the obligation to instal smart meters for approximately 6 million end users by the end of 2030 – about 750,000 per year on average.

In addition, all MV/LV substations owned by PGE Dystrybucja must be equipped with balancing meters by the end of 2025.

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Data from the smart meters will be aggregated in the central data repository as well as the new Central Information System for the Energy Market (CSIRE), which was established when the metering law entered into force in July 2021 as a central registry for data exchange in the Polish energy market.

Under the implementation and management of Poland’s TSO Polskie Sieci Elektroenergetyczne, which has been named the energy market information operator, the CSIRE is due to start operating in July 2024 and is considered key to improving the functioning of the market.

PGE Dystrybucja is planning two further phases for the smart meter rollout, for the years 2026-2028 and 2029-2030, with the rollout schedule also taking account of regular replacements.

The budget for the first phase for the years 2023-2025 is expected to total PLN1.49 billion (US$358 million).

PGE Dystrybucja headquartered in Lublin was established in 2010 as the consolidation of eight local distribution companies and covers about 40% of the area of Poland, including the capital Warsaw.