A PRIME solution to every problem

Communication has a pivotal role to play in raising the IQ of places, without it we won’t be able to secure the data needed for analytics engines, machine learning, and AI to positively impact Utilities in their quest for efficiency, losses reduction, proper visibility of their network assets, remote monitoring and control. This is why selecting the right type of communication in this constantly evolving field is still the hot topic of the day.

In 2018, El Sewedy Electrometer Group (EMG) was one of the first metering solution providers to take note of the resurgence of wired communication technologies championed by the PRIME Alliance, and G3-PLC among others that offer robustness, reliability, and security.

At the time, El Sewedy EMG successfully championed a modular solution with PRIME PLC v1.4 as the primary communication technology in Egypt’s 1st large-scale Smart Metering Project.

The scope of the end-to-end AMI Project commissioned by the Egyptian Electricity Holding Company (EEHC) included the supply and installation of 7 different types of modular Smart Meters supporting prepayment and post-payment functionality, Data Concentrators among which was El Sewedy EMG’s own Telecon DCU powered by PRIME v1.4 technology, HES, as well as three years of operation and management of the system.

Deploying PRIME solutions

The three deployment areas (Cairo, Menya & Assyout) in two Distribution Companies (namely South Cairo Distribution Co. and Middle Egypt Distribution Co.) totaling 63,000 Smart meters that were allocated to El Sewedy EMG can be characterized as a complex mixture of urban, rural and Industrial areas with a combination of overhead & underground cabling that posed quite a challenge due to the high noise levels and aging infrastructure, however, the results achieved were outstanding chief among them being the 99% Success Rate in the daily meter reading rates.

Since then, El Sewedy EMG in collaboration with reputable members of the different association technical working groups has been busy at work even during the trying times of the pandemic on new and exciting technologies, solutions, and metering services suitable for use in different applications including electricity, water & gas smart metering as was the case in the 231,000 New Administrative Capital metering project. These include unified wired RS-485 communication, Hybrid PLC & RF communication, Broadband Powerline Communication (BPL) and more.

Today, El Sewedy EMG is proudly embarking on a multitude of new and exciting projects in the Africa Region with the latest being the officially launched JICA Lot 1 project.

From the office of Eng. Gaber Desouky, Chairman of the Egyptian Electricity Holding Company (EEHC), and in the presence of the Japanese consultancy firm TEPSCO, the alliance of Siemens AG (the Main Contractor) and El Sewedy Electrometer (EMG) announced the launch of project activities including the upgrade of the distribution management system and establishment of an advanced metering infrastructure for Alexandria Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC).

The stage of supply, preparation of designs, implementation of advanced payment functionality, and remote data collection, will commence on the ground starting March 2023.

The implementation period is expected to be around 24 months for the two Advanced Distribution Management Systems (ADMS) for Alexandria Supervisory Control Center and West Alexandria Distribution Control Center supplied by the alliance led by Siemens AG. El Sewedy Electrometer (EMG) will provide about 300,000 smart meters as part of the project utilising PRIME v1.4 communication technology.

PRIME Hybrid is also expected to play a pivotal role in the successful Egyptian smart metering story once JICA Lot 3 in North Delta Electricity Distribution Company (NDEDC) which includes 175,000 smart meters is officially signed making Egypt the official Capital of PRIME in Africa and a shinning beacon for how communication can be done right.

To quote what was stated about this feat of ingenuity which will be the first such deployment in the African continent: “PRIME Hybrid has been realised by integrating both PLC & RF physical (PHY) layers into a common PHY layer that is used by the same media access control (MAC) layer of the previous versions.

"A hybrid node can use both physical layers and maintain connectivity with neighboring nodes with different technologies. For each connection, the technology chooses the most suitable medium and modulation to provide stable and fast communication. PLC-only protocols remain unchanged, making the integration fully backward compatible. The new solution allows hybrid and PLC-only devices to be integrated on the same network and is also fully compatible with RF-only devices, enabling new applications”.

To state it simply, you can’t manage what you don’t measure and to do so you need to secure your communication. The best way to start is to study the most effective solutions deployed and understand what made them work so well in different deployment environments.

About El Sewedy EMG

El Sewedy Electrometer Group is one of the leading providers of Energy Management services, with facilities operating worldwide and a broad range of versatile smart solutions and products tailored to Manage Utilities Better.

Visit: www.sewedy.com.eg