News articles 16.10.2023

Nettselskapet continues with Aidon for a complete AMM renewal

Marit Fostervold, CEO of Nettselskapet, and Hermund Slaatsveen, managing director of Aidon Norway

Norwegian Nettselskapet AS and Aidon have signed a contract for the renewal of the 2nd phase of Nettselskapet’s AMM system. In the phase 1, which was completed during 2022, ca. half of the company’s 25,000 metes were changed, and the rest will be replaced by Aidon technology by March 2024. The solution is based on the reliable, well-established combination of 6000-series metering devices and the Aidon RF connectivity, designed for the needs of Nordic DSOs and tested in demanding conditions.

We interviewed Marit Fostervold, CEO of Nettselskapet, when the roll-out of the new project is well underway.

Nettselskapet has completed the 1st phase of the AMM project. What have been the biggest changes or benefits you have gained from the new system?

Nettselskapet operated with 4 different metering platforms prior to the 1st phase of the AMM project. That was challenging, since it required a lot of operational resources, and the quality of meter connectivity was reduced. With the new system in use, the communication quality has significantly improved, while less resources are required to operate it. We also appreciate the cloud-based platform operation, compared to our previous on-premises based platforms.

How would you describe the cooperation with Aidon so far?

Aidon and Nettselskapet, as well as OneCo as the installation partner, have completed the 1st phase without any significant incidents. We are confident that this is a result of close coordination and cooperation between the parties throughout the project.

Which of the AMM system’s extended functionalities do you see as most relevant for Nettselskapet?

Nettselskapet is exploring its path towards a data driven operation, and all extended functionalities, such as monitoring of earth faults, voltage levels, energy losses, and health of transformer stations are all potential features for us to use.

The energy infrastructure is exposed to various threats such as extreme water conditions, cyber and physical risks as well as the lower predictability of the rapidly changing energy infrastructure. How could distribution system operators be better be prepared to cope with such threats? What role will new technologies such as smart metering play in respect to that?

Energy infrastructure is facing massive expansion requirements as well as evolving threats in Norway. More data, and real-time-access to that data will be a key factor in facing these challenges. DSOs need to have a better understanding of challenges related to their own grids, such as bottlenecks, active faults and security vulnerabilities in order to cope with them. With AMM we have a platform suitable for facing these challenges with the correct set of tools and capabilities.

Hermund Slaatsveen, managing director of Aidon Norway, is very pleased with the cooperation. – From the outset, Nettselskapet set clear requirements for the new solution, both technically and organisationally. An essential requirement was to have a turn-key delivery, with crystal clear responsibilities between the customer and the supplier. We are very pleased with the implementation and cooperation, and look forward to completing the project for phase two in the same way as for the 1st phase, at the agreed time and cost, concludes Slaatsveen.