For more than a decade, EDP has partnered with CGI to implement and evolve digital capabilities across its operations. CGI has worked to manage and modernize EDP’s systems and processes in mission-critical areas, including network management, network operations, asset management, geo-referencing and field network inventory, land base and remote sensing data management, mobility and security, smart metering, billing, switching, customer service, and information management. In addition, CGI has provided comprehensive data center, infrastructure and applications management services.
This work has enabled EDP to adapt its IT model to align with current and future trends, as well as the specific needs of the company. In addition, it has generated significant cost savings, which EDP has, in turn, invested in transforming for the future.
EDP: A success story
One key transformative project that has put EDP at the forefront of digitalization is InovGrid – one of Europe’s leading smart grid projects. InovGrid is a large-scale smart grid that is driving next-generation energy distribution and efficiency through its support of dispersed generation, on-demand management, customer self-service, renewable energy sources, electric vehicles, cybersecurity, data privacy and more.
As part of the pilot implementation of InovGrid in a small Portuguese city in 2009, approximately 35,000 smart meters were rolled out. Since then, more than one million smart meters have been rolled out across Portugal, and that number is expected to climb to six million by 2019.
CGI has played a key role in the project, defining the requirements for the InovGrid solution, delivering an advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) software solution through our Sm@rtering solution, designing new end-to-end AMI business processes and all of the interfaces required to support them, and implementing a smart grid supervision and control room to support daily operations.
The benefits
Today, InovGrid is delivering impressive results, including improved energy efficiency with significant consumption reductions, faster response times and improved service quality, increased knowledge of customers and grid behaviors, and easier integration of renewable energy sources and other emerging technologies. Its scale and success led to its selection by the European Union Commission and Eurelectric as a leading smart grids reference project in Europe.
EDPR: A success story
CGI also partnered with EDPR on a transformative project involving the delivering of a digital Renewables Management System (RMS) that controls more than 6,000 turbines on nearly 300 wind farms in nine countries across three continents. A world leader in the renewable energy sector, EDPR designs, develops, builds and runs wind power plants. It needed a single, easy-to-use system that would integrate processes in real time across different geographies, scale up on short notice, and evolve in line with market changes and EDPR’s business strategy.
The benefits
CGI’s award-winning RMS solution has delivered a wide range of benefits for EDPR, including remote wind farm control, faster response times, decreased downtime and maintenance costs, immediate connection to the grid and support for power trading and settlement. The solution also enables EDPR to more effectively handle vendors, contracts and warranties for improved asset management and performance.
These are just two of the many projects where EDP and CGI have jointly collaborated to create a paradigm shift in the utilities industry and deliver the efficiencies, cost savings and innovation required to meet the current and future demands of the utilities market. EDP’s long-term investment in digital transformation has positioned it as a utility leader and will continue to drive its success.
About EDP
Headquartered in Lisbon, Portugal, EDP is Portugal’s largest utility company and business group, as well as a leading operator in Europe’s energy sector, serving more than 12 million customers. EDP also has a presence in the U.S., Brazil, Spain and several other European countries. In addition, through the work of its subsidiary, EDP Renováveis (EDP Renewables or EDPR), EDP has become the world’s third largest producer of renewable energy, especially wind, solar and hydro generation.
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