American Samoa Power Authority to Deploy Itron’s AMI Technology

The American Samoa Power Authority (ASPA) is partnering with Itron to modernize its electricity distribution system through the deployment of an Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) solution. The project includes smart electric meters, the UtilityIQ® headend application suite, and iPay prepayment software, forming a key part of ASPA’s digital transformation roadmap.

ASPA serves roughly 50,000 residents across five islands in the South Pacific, providing electricity, water, wastewater, and solid waste services. As an isolated territory, American Samoa must generate its own power and faces some of the highest electricity costs in the world. In 2023, the utility’s average price of electricity was about 3.5 times higher than the U.S. average.

The AMI deployment is expected to give ASPA more detailed visibility into electricity consumption while enabling customers to monitor and manage their own usage. The system is designed to operate in a remote island environment and includes ongoing firmware updates, technical support, and training.

The rollout includes:

• Gen5 CENTRON II electric smart meters, designed with advanced AMI functionality to reduce field service costs, improve credit management, and support prepaid metering.

• Gen5 communication network, which provides long-range connectivity, security features, and distributed intelligence.

• iPay integration, offering flexible prepayment options to help customers manage energy use and costs.

• UtilityIQ headend software, which collects and manages meter data to provide operational insights.

ASPA officials said the initiative represents a significant step in the utility’s digital transformation, helping to improve electric management across its geographically dispersed service area. Itron representatives noted that the two organizations have collaborated previously on smaller projects and described the new deployment as part of ASPA’s broader modernization strategy.