The Mexican government is rolling out smart meters throughout the nation. The Advanced Metering Infrastructure is being funded through Mexico's PEDIGRAS program, which uses private companies and financing to carry out public works projects. This smart metering project is beyond deployed in phases by the Comisión Federal de Electricidad’s (CFE), a company created and owned by the Mexican government through the PEDIGRAS program. It generates, distributes, and markets electric power to almost 34.2 million customers, or 97.8 percent of the country’s population.
In 2011, Mexico used a pilot test of The EnergyAxis System, made by the Elster Group, to evaluate the advantages and potential of this smart grid technology for future deployments. As part of this project, Elster will deploy its EnergyAxis Smart Grid solution and smart meters in the zone of Polanco – a group of seven official residential neighborhoods (“colonias”) in Mexico City, including Los Morales, Del Bosque, Polanco Reforma, Polanco Chapultepec, Chapultepec Morales, Bosque de Chapultepec and Residencial del Bosque . About 50,000 people live in this area, which also is known for its upscale hotels, restaurants, shopping malls, and corporate offices.
By demonstrating AMI features such as remote meter reading in hard to reach areas, energy usage monitoring, remote connect/disconnect, load management and AMI-DA (distribution automation) convergence in voltage monitoring, the Elster project expands CFE's Smart Grid initiatives even further. (Source: IOT Evolution)
In April 2015, CFE selected Silver Spring Networks to deploy its IPv6 network and UtilityIQ software in a bid to provide connectivity solutions to cabinets in Mexico City’s Central District, which house a group of centralized meters.
California-based networking platform and solution provider Silver Spring Networks worked in partnership with Tecnologías EOS deploy a ‘canopy network’ for meter connectivity across residential and commercial areas of Mexico City’s Central District, with the goal of reducing electricity theft, ensuring revenue protection and improving service and reliability. Silver Spring’s solution will service approximately 140,000 residential and commercial customers within CFE’s Central District in Mexico City. (Source: Metering and Smart Energy International)
In 2016, CFE issued a contract to a consortium of Siemens Power Medellin and Edemtec to install over 300 thousand meters in Mexico City and the State of Mexico to combat technical and non-technical (e.g. theft) electricity losses. This phase will enter commercial operation by 2018.
The aim of the project is to reduce non – technical and technical losses associated with lack of measurement of electricity consumption, as well as lack of maintenance and modernization of distribution networks.
Specifically , the scheme involves the execution of ten works by reducing energy losses and a work assurance measurement, which includes the supply and installation of 378,000 meters 510 Type AMI with free communication technology; 12 000 874 distribution transformers with total capacity of 162.32 MVA and installing circuit 185 thousand kilometers (km-C) at 23 kV. (Source: El Financiero)