Cyprus Energy Company Expands Smart Meter Program

The largest energy company on the Mediterranean island of Cyprus, KIB-TEK, has contracted with Danish meter maker Kamstrup to supply 36,000 smart meters for installation on customers’ homes. The program, announced April 29, is the first of its kind in Northern Cyprus.

Kamstrup will provide 30,000 of its Omnipower single phase meters and 6,000 three phase meters, all with overload disconnect and GPRS communication. The meters operate on the Device Language Message Specifications (DLMS) open protocol standard, which will be easy to integrate into the existing power grid system. Kamstrup will provide support for the project, from consulting on the integration process to training installers.

“Kamstrup was chosen because of a very competitive product of high quality. Being a manufacturer based in Denmark, with a fully automated production brings a consistent level of quality and traceability,” said Mehmet Salih Gurkan, General Director, KIB-TEK. “We believe that Kamstrup will be an important partner for KIB-TEK in the future.”

KIB-TEK has about 175,000 customers and is one of the most advanced electricity utilities in the region, in terms of smart metering. One of the major challenges in the northern Cyprus electricity network is the high level of voltage fluctuations in the grid because of the unpredictable and often extreme climate of the island. To combat this problem and improve safety, Kamstrup has developed and added a special feature for this project: an automatic disconnect switch that will shut off the meter if the voltage gets too high. This way, customers won’t have to worry about a surge causing fires or ruining appliances.

This phase of the installation process is expected to be done by July, and KIB-TEK said it plans to convert all of its customers to smart meters in the next few years.