RALEIGH, NC — NV Energy has selected the Sensus smart grid solution for its advanced metering infrastructure and is expected to deploy as many as 1.3 million electric and 155,000 gas meters throughout the utility’s 54,500 square mile service territory beginning in 2010.

The deployment is conditional on a definitive agreement with NV Energy as well as receipt of all requisite contract and regulatory approvals.

NV Energy’s Senior Vice President of Customer Relationships Robert Stewart said that the utility was looking for a high-bandwidth, multi-application solution that provided the right mix of operational benefits and advanced smart grid features.

“We needed a proven, interoperable and secure system that would provide a foundation for our long-term smart grid strategy and deliver near-term operational savings,” Stewart said.

“Sensus will support NV Energy’s demand response applications for shedding peak summer and winter electric loads and enable advanced applications for distribution automation and distributed generation,” said Peter Mainz, president and CEO of Sensus.

NV Energy is also expected to benefit from the reach and power of the FlexNet RF solution, which offers an industry-leading 2 watts of power for the transmission of data, statistics and other usage information for utilities and consumers. This primary-use FCC licensed spectrum provides a clear path for value added features, including customer education, conservation and integration with home area networks.

The NV Energy deployment will benefit 2.4 million consumers in Nevada with a single smart grid solution, including those in rural mountainous northern Nevada and densely populated urban Las Vegas.

The FlexNet system’s tower gateway base stations will be installed primarily at the utility’s existing substations.