AEMO Ltd. Chooses Itron to Automate Energy Demand Forecasting

LIBERTY LAKE, Wash.—March 30, 2011—Itron Inc. (NASDAQ: ITRI) announced today that Australian Energy Market Operator Ltd. (AEMO) will implement an Itron solution to automate short-term load forecasting for the National Electricity Market (NEM) in Australia-a market which includes New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia and Tasmania.

Through this partnership, Itron will implement an end-to-end solution to streamline AEMO's processes and provide half-hourly demand forecasts at intervals ranging from half-hour ahead to eight days ahead. With demand forecasts created at a sub-regional level, the project will enable improved forecasting of interconnection constraints, and in turn improve the forecasting accuracy of spot prices and reserves.

The solution will leverage Itron's MetrixIDR™ platform, which generates accurate sub-hourly, hourly or daily short-term forecasts automatically. By combining historical load data with weather and calendar information, MetrixIDR provides system operators and energy traders with the real-time load forecasts required to operate successfully in today's dynamic real-time markets.

"For system operators around the world, access to accurate forecast data is critical to ensure efficient system reliability," said Frank Monforte, director of forecasting for Itron. "With our knowledgeable staff and robust forecasting solutions, Itron understands the needs of these system operators better than anyone. We are proud to share this experience with AEMO and look forward to a successful partnership."