Kahramaa to install smart meters across Qatar to read energy, water consumptions remotely

The Qatar General Electricity and Water Corporation (Kahramaa) has joined hands with German firm Siemens to deploy a smart meter system in Qatar, enabling authorities to remotely read water and energy consumptions.The QR30 million project will be completed in nine months. The first phase of the project will see the installation of up to 60,000 smart meters by the end of 2020.Under the project, a smart platform, representing the infrastructure of smart electricity and water meters, will be deployed enabling electricity and water meters installation and its integration with the remote monitoring and reading platform.With this advanced system, KAHRAMAA will be benefited from the huge data received through the main system, analyzing programs that enhance operational efficiency, raising operational flexibility and reducing the number of manual operations. The system will contribute in reducing the cost of field services, enhancing the power outage management mechanism. Moreover, the system will improve the capital investments’ efficiency as a result of improved planning for the network which will support the financial sustainability of the Corporation. This system supports KAHRAMAA's efforts to reduce waste, and monitor consumption details accurately, momentarily at any time. It also makes use of modern technologies to conserve consumption via smart meters, enabling customers to monitor their consumption which supports the objectives of the National Program for Conservation and Energy Efficiency "Tarsheed". At the same time, the system will assist in identifying violations and publishing data analysis to fix the sources of violations.The customers will also receive a regular bill with the highest accuracy rates, as it depends entirely on a digital system where those readings are automatically transferred to the system for issuing invoices. The system allows also prepayment through smart meters.Through this advanced system, KAHRAMAA will have a clearer vision for its network and will be able to control performance better through a flexible system that proactively adapts to changes in the network’s needs. It will also contribute to achieve Qatar's goals related to smart cities. The project also provides an internet of things platform and suite of applications that helps KAHRAMAA to unify devices, grid infrastructure and market operations through a single unique architecture. The smart meter infrastructure system implemented by KAHRAMAA in cooperation with Siemens is integrated with the customer management and billing system which is implemented in cooperation with Oracle Corporation where it supports the process of receiving data from the smart meters system. It can integrate more than one system and application into an advanced and flexible system that integrates with all customers data. It contributes in achieving works easily in order to support the KAHRAMAA’s initiatives of increasing the productivity and operational efficiency as well as providing world class services. KAHRAMAA, through implementing Siemens Application system for the smart meter infrastructure, aims at providing the necessary infrastructure to deploy the system of smart meters as one of the most important components of smart network in accordance with its plan to transform Qatar’s network into a safe, sustainable and digitally automated network. It will provide reliable and high-quality energy for all stakeholders of the Corporation to raise the level of excellence in meeting customers’ needs and accelerating the access to the global competitiveness.It is worth mentioning that this project comes within the projects and initiatives implemented by KAHRAMAA since its announcement of transformation into a smart Corporation. It also comes within the framework of KAHRAMAA’s long-term strategic journey towards achieving excellence in line with its vision 2030 of making its people, assets, systems and processes will set a global benchmark for performance, technological innovation, environmental sustainability and social responsibility in electricity & water Sector.