National Water Company of Saudi Arabia Deploys Itron Technology to Support Water Conservation
Second-largest city in Saudi Arabia, Jeddah, to utilize Itron water meters and communication modules
LIBERTY LAKE, Wash. — April 3, 2014 — Itron, Inc. (NASDAQ: ITRI) announced today that Saudi Arabia's National Water Company (NWC) is installing Itron's water technology to help the city of Jeddah conserve water resources. Itron meters and communication modules will enable NWC to measure water consumption more accurately, helping the utility and its customers to better utilize the country's scarce water resources.
Jeddah is an important commercial hub in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia with a population of over 5 million inhabitants. Most water in Jeddah comes from expensive desalination plants. Itron's metering technology, including 141,000 residential and commercial & industrial water meters equipped with wireless communication modules, will enable NWC to track and use water resources more efficiently. The single-jet technology used in Itron water meters is built to operate in harsh conditions, including high temperature and loaded water, that are often found in Saudi Arabia.
Itron is supplying customized wireless communication modules specially designed for high temperature climates. The communication modules can be read remotely through heavy protective metal covers that encase water meters in the city, reducing time spent locating and reading meters. The contract duration covers a two-year period, after which the majority of water meters in Jeddah will be ready for AMI integration. Installation of the water meters is underway.
"At Itron, we pride ourselves on tailoring solutions to each of our customer's unique needs. The meters and communication modules we're installing for NWC in Jeddah are a great example of our ability to create a technology solution for every customer, addressing specific utility requirements," said Mathias Martin, Itron vice president of sales, EMEA.
"Water use and conservation is a very important issue for us," said Dr. Loay Al-Musallam, CEO at National Water Company. "In a city of more than 5 million people with no fresh water sources, we are challenged to use water as efficiently as possible. The accuracy of Itron's meters will help us make the best use of the water we have. We look forward to our ongoing partnership with Itron."
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