Lisbon, Dec. 6, 2024 (Lusa) - E-REDES, Portugal's electricity distribution company, has completed the installation of 6.6 million smart electricity meters in the country, a replacement process that began in 2016 and involved an investment of €330 million by the distribution network operator.

"Without smart meters there can be no energy transition, they are essential if we are to move forward with electric mobility and the integration of renewable energies, which are essential for self-consumption and energy communities," the Chairman of the Board of Directors of E-REDES, José Ferrari Careto, said on Friday.

The company marked the conclusion of the process today with a meeting in the auditorium of EDP's headquarters in Lisbon, which was attended by the secretary of state for energy, Maria João Pereira, among other guests.

"In one of the largest logistical operations the country has ever seen, around 25,000 meters were installed per week in this final stretch of the campaign to replace meters with smart metering equipment," emphasised the electricity distribution network operator.

Smart meters allow customers to skip the vast majority of remote activation and contract change services, as well as real bill readings without estimates.

Once the installation is complete, these remote services are operational when customers receive a subsequent communication informing them that the new meters have been integrated into the smart grid.

MPE/ADB // ADB.

Lusa