Source: Itron

Itron, Inc. (NASDAQ: ITRI) announced it will provide more than 400,000 gas smart payment meters to SOCAR “Azeri Gas” Production Union (PU), a part of the State Oil Company of Azerbaijan (SOCAR). The new meter deployment follows a previous project that included installing 250,000 smart payment meters in the capital city of Baku. This marks the start of the second phase of the project, which will cover the remainder of the country. The roll-out plan gives Azerbaijan Republic the opportunity to capitalize on the benefits of smart payment technology throughout the entire country.

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Meter deployment is underway and will be completed in February 2013. With Itron’s smart payment meters rolling out across Azerbaijan, consumers will benefit from the convenience of recharging their payment cards at several points of sales located throughout the country, including self-service terminals. With increased availability and simple access, consumers will be better equipped to effectively manage their gas consumption.

“We constantly strive to streamline our operations and offer the best service to our customers. Itron’s technology helps us achieve both goals,” said Mr. Akbar Hajiyev, managing director, SOCAR “Azerigas” PU. “Selecting Itron for our phase-two deployment was based on the success of our phase-one project. After rolling out 250,000 meters in 2010, we know that Itron’s solution can scale up to meet our needs nationwide.”

“We are dedicated to continuing our long-term partnership with SOCAR “Azeri Gas” PU,” said Muness Charara, Itron regional manager, Middle East Energy. “We’ve delivered gas smart payment meters to Azerbaijan since early 2010, and we believe the service and support we’ve provided will now help us build a strong gas smart payment metering platform in the Caspian region of Central Asia.”