Sensus extends its congratulations to Alabama Power Company (A Southern Company) for being the recipient of the GridWeek 2011 Leadership Award presented during the annual GridWeek conference in Washington, D.C., Sept. 12-15.

The GridWeek 2011 Leadership Award is presented to the individual or organization that has presented a clear hypothesis, demonstrated objectives in smart grid or related technology deployment, shared results and presented noteworthy lessons to the industry.

Selected by GridWeek in the State of Deployment category, Alabama Power’s recent smart grid implementation played an instrumental role in restoring power to more than 400,000 customers in the wake of the tornadoes that devastated Alabama on April 27, 2011. In Alabama Power’s service territory alone there were more than 30 tornados covering more than 690 miles. By the end of the storm, more than 6,000 poles and more than 400 transmission system structures were damaged or destroyed. In addition, more than 300 substations lost power and six substations were either destroyed or suffered significant damage.

Alabama Power Company, as have most utilities, owned and maintained its Outage Management System (OMS) for many years. As part of a larger Southern Company initiative, the OMS system was integrated with the Sensus FlexNet Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) System. With deployment complete in the fall of 2010, the systems allow Alabama Power to gain situational analysis more efficiently in a storm event.

“Sensus applauds Alabama Power for its recent GridWeek 2011 Leadership award,” said Randolph Wheatley, vice president, corporate marketing and communications for Sensus. “The integrated system was proven reliable in the worst case scenario, when deadly tornados swept across Tuscaloosa County, Alabama, on April 27.”

As a result of the Southern Company’s initiatives and Alabama Power’s timely AMI implementation, the utility was able to quickly assess which meters were without power. The utility was also able to maintain awareness of damaged or destroyed buildings that were not able to have power restored.

About Alabama Power

Alabama Power provides the valuable combination of competitive prices, reliable electricity supply and unparalleled service to 1.4 million homes, businesses and industries in the southern two-thirds of Alabama. It is one of four U.S. utilities operated by Southern Company, one of the nation's largest producers of electricity.

Alabama Power is the second largest subsidiary of Southern Company, serving homes, businesses and industries in the southern two-thirds of Alabama. More than 78,000 miles of power lines carry electricity to customers throughout 44,500 square miles.

About Sensus

Sensus is a leading utility infrastructure company offering smart meters, communication systems, software and services for the electric, gas, and water industries. Sensus technology helps utilities drive operational efficiency and customer engagement with applications that include advanced meter reading, data acquisition, demand response, distribution automation, home area networking and outdoor lighting control. Customers worldwide trust the innovation, quality and reliability of Sensus solutions for the intelligent use and conservation of energy and water. Learn more at www.sensus.com.

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