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The event "Smart Meters: A Pillar of the Energy Transition" took place last Friday and marked the completion of the process of replacing meters throughout mainland Portugal with new smart metering equipment. 6.6 million smart meters were installed, from north to south of the country, at all points of connection to the grid, in an operation that began in 2016 and was completed this year, with an investment of 330 million euros.

At the event's opening session, Miguel Stilwell D'Andrade, Chairman of the Executive Board of Directors of the EDP group, emphasized the importance of the contribution of all stakeholders and all public bodies, such as ERSE, energy associations, suppliers, partners, E-REDES teams, to the completion of this essential milestone for the Energy Transition. Alluding to the history of the project, Miguel Stilwell d'Andrade recalled the start of the project in Évora - Inovcity - when the first steps were taken in this campaign, which then went mainstream in 2016.

In one of the biggest logistical operations the country has ever seen, around 25,000 meters per week were installed in this final stretch of the campaign to replace meters with smart metering equipment. E-REDES has thus completed another stage in the modernization of the network, giving it greater intelligence, which can be measured with a real impact on customers. In addition to all its functionalities, the smart grid now supports 323 energy communities, around 6,500 electric vehicle charging points, 234k individual self-consumption customers and 1,350 collective self-consumption customers, with 6.4 million real bill readings without estimates. 

Smart meters allow for more efficient energy management, promote better energy habits, help to reduce the carbon footprint and contribute to the elimination of estimated bills, as well as making it possible for the customer to no longer be present for the vast majority of remote activation and contract change services. Once the installation is complete, all these services will be operational when customers receive a subsequent communication informing them that the new meters have been integrated into the smart grid.

The closing session was chaired by José Ferrari Careto, Chairman of the Board of Directors of E-REDES, who emphasized that this milestone is a crucial step in the transformation of the electricity sector in Portugal ‘Without smart meters there is no energy transition, they are essential if we are to move forward with electric mobility, the integration of renewable energies, which are essential for self-consumption and energy communities,’ said José Ferrari Careto.