Tender Launch for Smart Meters
Uruguay has initiated tender 101063/2023 to procure smart meters as part of a strategic plan by the state power company UTE. The goal is to provide every residential customer with a smart meter by the end of next year.
Authorities are looking for:
- 180,000 single-phase smart meters
- 20,000 three-phase smart meters
- Associated software and components
- Consulting, training, and maintenance services
With these smart meters, customers will have the ability to track their energy usage via the internet or a dedicated application.
The UTE has already installed 1 million smart meters, with plans to extend the initiative to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) since July. The company services close to 1.5 million connections, predominantly residential.
In 2021, the average monthly power consumption was 472 kWh, while the average residential consumption reached 231 kWh.
Furthermore, distributed solar generation in Uruguay has shown significant growth, rising from 2.11 GWh produced in 2014 (1.22 GWh injected and 889 MWh consumed) to 39.2 GWh in 2021 (20.5 GWh injected and 18.7 GWh consumed).
In 2014, the residential segment contributed 122 MWh of the total generation (94 MWh injected and 28 MWh consumed), which significantly increased to 2.88 GWh in 2021 (1.84 GWh injected and 1.03 GWh consumed).
Bids for the tender will open on May 5. The implementation of this new measure promises to greatly enhance users' ability to manage their energy consumption.