In Uzbekistan, gas distribution network operator Khududgaztaminot JSC has deployed some 2.1 million smart meters in collaboration with Italian firms Pietro Fiorentini and Terranova.

The smart gas meters have been manufactured and installed over the past 17 months and are developed by the two Italian firms in partnership with local companies Texanopark LLC.

Pietro Fiorentini and Terranova are manufacturing smart meters in Uzbekistan as part of efforts by the government to leverage international partnerships to digitalise its economy and ensure its energy savings and environmental sustainability standards are in line with international specifications.

Khududgaztaminot JSC will be deploying some 4 million smart gas meters as part of a €400 million ($463.7 million) grid modernisation and automated meter reading programme, according to a statement.

Cristiano Nardi, President of Pietro Fiorentini Group, said the city of Tashkent’s Texnopark, established in 2019, is able to produce 3 million smart meters a year to help Uzbekistan to carry out a large-scale transformation of the energy system.

Khududgaztaminot JSC will introduce an automatic billing system called Askug Billing and a pre-payment system to enhance its gas metering capabilities and revenue protection and collection.

The smart meters are expected to reduce the utility’s non-revenue energy through quick detection of leakages. The utility is also expected to enhance the quality of energy supply and accelerate green transition as a result of the upgrade, according to Pietro Fiorentini.

Owing to the smart meters, consumer efficiency for Khududgaztaminot JSC’s customers has increased and gas leaks reduced over the past year, states Pietro Fiorentini.

In addition to the smart meters, the Uzbekistan utility has also been provided with modern stations for gas pressure monitoring and regulation in Shaykhantaur district in Tashkent. As a result, the utility has been able to ensure a stable supply of gas, eliminate pressure drops and ensure an efficient regulation of supply.

Pietro Fiorentini and Khududgaztaminot JSC will aim at improving the quality and continuity of the gas supply, thus eliminating the supply interruptions in the Country internal networks.

Alessandro Vistoli, Terranova’s CEO, reiterated: “We will keep supporting the improvement of the gas network management through the supply of technologies for the real-time management of the pressure metering systems.

“Thanks to the Artificial Intelligence, our platforms will open up to future opportunities to automate the processes of the whole gas sector. By implementing all these innovative automatic systems, Uzbekistan will become a leading country in the natural gas industry.”