Any thoughts..............
Wednesday September 24 3:32 PM EDT
Company Press Release
Schlumberger and Illinova Corporation Announce an Agreement to Deploy a Two-Way Customer Communications System (TWCCS)
NORCROSS, Ga., Sept. 24 /PRNewswire/ -- Schlumberger Industries, Incorporated and Illinova Corporation (NYSE:ILN) announce the signing of a memorandum of understanding regarding plans to deploy a two-way customer communications system (TWCCS) that will utilize a MAPS(R)-based central meter reading system for residential, commercial, and industrial electric and natural gas customers in Illinois. This system, under a lease contract for 15 years, will be installed over a 15,000 square-mile area and will serve approximately 1.1 million meter points in Illinois Power's (IP) service territory. Schlumberger is expecting to complete the installation over a two-year period. Contractual agreements are expected to be finalized by December 1, 1997.
Two-way customer communications capabilities will be available for nearly every customer in IP's territory which will enable IP and Illinova Energy Partners (IEP), combined with Schlumberger as a solution provider to offer a host of value-added services.
The objective of this deployment is to facilitate Illinova Corporation's effort to prepare for the effects of an increasingly competitive environment by holding costs in check and by increasing its flexibility to provide new services of value to its customers.
According to the agreement, Schlumberger will integrate system components provided by Schlumberger and Whisper with software systems, will manage the deployment, and will operate and maintain the system during the lease period, while supplying a variety of usage information and systems data needed for effective energy management, meter reading, billing, and other customer-driven services.
Mr. Paul Lang, Senior Vice President, Illinois Power believes: ``This system will allow us to substantially improve service to our customers and at the same time provide an infrastructure that will facilitate the transition to a competitive environment.'' As an example, he cites the fact that upon project completion, IP will have real-time capability which will be a necessity for proper cost allocation in a competitive market.
According to Mr. Alain Bojarski, Vice President, General Manager, Meter Communication Systems Division, Schlumberger, ``As a provider of solutions to the energy industry, Schlumberger has been able to utilize our system expertise and intimate knowledge of measurement and utility operations to evaluate all viable technologies on the market today and to choose the ideal system for Illinova Corporation.
``Equipped with True2Way(TM) radio frequency (RF) meter interface components supplied by Whisper Communications, Inc., a leader in two-way RF communications, and the MAPS software host, IP now has the capacity to read all of their meters cost-effectively with the state-of-the-art technology in urban, suburban, and rural populations. This system has the ability to obtain interval data on each and every meter. This data can then be put to use for flexible tariffing, including time-of-use and coincident peak demand, as well as load research and bill management,'' said Bojarski.
``This is a great example of the power of the Schlumberger/Whisper partnership and technology,'' said Mr. Mick Mullagh, President and CEO of Whisper Communications. ``As the largest automated meter reading (AMR) project to date in the United States, with over a million metering points, this project will create market momentum for two-way AMR networks.''
Mr. Robert Schultz, President, Illinova Energy Partners, is convinced that ``access to a true interactive customer communications network using Schlumberger and Whisper technology will open the door for Illinova to develop and deliver innovative, information-based products and services. This system will allow us to respond quickly to changing needs as competition is introduced into the energy and energy-related services marketplace.''
Illinova Corporation, headquartered in Decatur, Illinois, is an energy services holding company with annual revenues of nearly $1.7 billion. Its subsidiaries are Illinois Power, an electric and natural gas utility; Illinova Generating, which invests in, develops, and operates independent power projects worldwide; and Illinova Energy Partners, which markets energy and energy-related services in the United States and Canada.
Schlumberger is an industry leader in designing, providing, installing and operating metering solutions for the utility industry. Employing 57,000 people in over 100 countries, Schlumberger has development and production facilities in North and South America, Europe, and Asia with its 1996 revenue at $9 billion.
Please see slb.com for more information. |
