Itron and Coopesantos R.L. Make History in Central America with First Successful Completion of Advanced Metering Infrastructure Deployment in Costa Rica

Itron, Inc. (NASDAQ: ITRI), which is innovating new ways for utilities and cities to manage energy and water, announced that in collaboration with Los Santos Rural Electrification Cooperative (Coopesantos R.L.), one of four electric cooperatives in Costa Rica committed to improving the well-being of the community, achieved a significant milestone by fully implementing Itron’s Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) network and becoming the first rural electrifier in Costa Rica and Central America to complete this project.

The five-year project connected Itron’s distributed intelligence (DI)-enabled AMI solution with Coopesantos R.L.’s customer information system and more than 50,000 Itron smart electricity meters. Upgrading to Itron’s AMI solution enables Coopesantos R.L. with grid edge intelligence, extending the visibility and control needed to advance its goal of optimizing and modernizing its electrical grid.

The Coopesantos R.L. service territory covers over 1,500 km² or 579 square miles in rural Costa Rica. By deploying Itron’s full AMI solution, delivered via local Itron channel partners Conelectricas, R.L. and Itecna, Coopesantos R.L. now has remote visibility into each Itron smart meter across its diverse territory, including in difficult to access areas, such as in the mountains or in urban areas.

The full Itron AMI solution combines robust smart metering functionality and a DI platform that offers a new approach to managing electricity. Benefits of the Itron AMI solution include:

• Power Outage Alerts: Costa Rica is prone to extreme weather events. As the Itron AMI system automatically collects readings from each meter, Coopesantos R.L. has insight into whether a power outage has occurred. This enables the cooperative to respond more quickly to power outages, improving reliability and client satisfaction.
• Reducing Carbon Footprint: The Itron AMI solution is equipped with two-way communications, which allows the cooperative to remotely read meters and perform updates to each meter remotely. As a result, the Coopesantos can reduce truck rolls and decrease its environmental impact.
• Increased Client Satisfaction: With detailed insight into energy usage data, Coopesantos can detect changes in energy consumption patterns. In addition, the meter can detect technical irregularities, indicating potential energy theft.

“Being the first cooperative to deploy smart meters in Costa Rica and Central America marks a significant step toward the modernization of the infrastructure and distribution of electrical energy in rural areas where we provide service to all homes, businesses and industries. This allows us to get closer to a smart grid model of developed countries,” said Mario Patricio Solis Solis, General Manager, Coopesantos R.L. “Our electrical distribution deployment has been strengthened with this investment in technology and devices from Itron, automating and optimizing our operational processes. We’re thrilled to continue working together as we embark on creating a reliable smart grid to prepare for the future.”