Itron Wins New Contract in Belgium for Gas Smart Payment Meters

Brussels, Belgium — 17 July, 2009 — Itron, Inc. (NASDAQ: ITRI) announced today that Contigea S.A., its Belgian subsidiary based in Brussels, has been awarded a contract to supply EANDIS with 40,000 gas smart payment meters over a period of 3 to 5 years, starting in June 2009.

EANDIS, which stands for Elektriciteit, Aardgas, Netten and Distributie (Electricity, Natural Gas, Network and Distribution) is a leading Belgian Distribution Grid Operator (DGO) serving about 2.45 million electricity customers and 1.45 million natural gas customers in the region of Flanders, Belgium.

Following regional regulations whereby the Distribution Grid Operator has an obligation to supply the subsistence level of gas or electricity to residential customers that are unable to pay their bills, EANDIS had to install budget meters at their customers' homes. As a result, end-users will be able to charge their meters via a smart card, which can be credited through a PC-based Point Of Sales at different EANDIS customer centers and at the municipal social service department connecting to the Itron TaleXus Vendor™ system.

In place in Belgium since 1999 for electricity, the Itron smart payment system was already ready for combined electricity and gas management, which eases the implementation of gas meters in existing premises. The current contract calls for delivery to 40,000 residential customers in Flanders of the Itron RF1 iV PSC gas smart payment meter managed by the TaleXus Vendor™ system. Without any doubt it reinforces the position of Itron as the leader in providing electricity and gas smart payment solutions in the region.

Eric Scheepers, General Manager Electricity Benelux & S&M Manager Gas Benelux, explains: "At Itron, we are proud to provide EANDIS with a smart payment system for gas meters. Thanks to our experience and know-how in energy smart payment, we are certainly uniquely positioned to help gas distribution grid operators and suppliers manage their missions with solutions adapted to the local needs and region-specific regulations. These solutions will most probably be adopted in other countries in Europe and hence will strengthen Itron's position as leader in the smart metering market".