Itron Selected to Modernize Natural Gas Distribution System in Northern Italy

LIBERTY LAKE, Wash.—May 27, 2015—Itron, Inc. (NASDAQ: ITRI), a world-leading technology and services company dedicated to the resourceful use of energy and water, announced today that Linea Distribuzione, natural gas provider in eight provinces in Northern Italy, has signed a contract with Itron to modernize its gas distribution system. Linea Distribuzione will pilot Itron's ChoiceConnect Network solution, marking the first deployment of the solution in Europe. The solution will be deployed in the city of Crema to manage approximately 17,000 meters and will be operated by Itron, which will help Linea Distribuzione comply with the European Union's smart metering directive as implemented into the Italian mandate for the rollout of smart meters. The solution will also help the utility transform its business operations, customer engagement and resource management.

With the fixed network solution, which is based on the recently assigned European band of 169MHz, Linea Distribuzione and its customers will have access to detailed meter data, improving operations and informing customers of their gas usage to empower them to change behaviors and save energy. Access to near real-time customer usage information will also help expedite bill reconciliation. The solution's full two-way communication to the meter will enable on-demand reads and disconnects to be easily conducted without having to go into the field.

"Linea Distribuzione chose to work with Itron because the company is a well-known, reliable player in the smart metering space with a comprehensive solution offering. In addition to helping us comply with the mandate for the rollout of smart meters, the ChoiceConnect Network solution will give us better insights into our gas distribution systems," said G. Duchi, chief technology officer at Linea Distribuzione. "We look forward to working with an industry leader to modernize our system and realize the benefits of smart gas metering."

"Itron is excited to bring our proven, successful gas AMI solution to Europe through this project with Linea Distribuzione. To date, more than 50 million gas endpoints are operating under the ChoiceConnect fixed network and mobile solution in North America. Linea Distribuzione will benefit from our proven experience helping utilities better manage gas resources," said Oscar Marquez, gas sales director for southern Europe at Itron.