Belo Horizonte, Brazil --- (METERING.COM) --- May 11, 2010 - Minas Gerais utility Companhia Energetica de Minas Gerais (Cemig) has announced that its “Cities of the Future” smart grid project will be launched in the city of Sete Lagoas (Seven Lakes).

The project will see automation of the distribution network and upgrading of the electrical system with the aim of improving service to customers.

Sete Lagoas, located 70 km from Cemig’s headquarters in Belo Horizonte, has a population of over 200,000 inhabitants and more than 80,000 electricity customers, and offers a diversity of economic activities in the industrial, agriculture and services sectors.

Cemig’s superintendent of engineering development and distribution Denys Cláudio de Souza Cruz explains the choice of Sete Lagoas was made because the city has the high, medium and low voltage electrical systems, telecommunications, a diverse market and the presence of Cemig’s university, Universidade Corporativa da Cemig (Univercemig).

The Cities of the Future project will assess the capability and benefits of adopting smart grid technology, based on the tests that take place in Sete Lagoas. These tests will validate products, services and innovative solution, and will determine the feasibility of expanding the project throughout Cemig’s concession area.

"The Cities of the Future project, besides being a great challenge, is an excellent opportunity to implement the paradigm of intelligent networks, enabling integration of the processes of Cemig, as defined by regulatory agencies, while enabling increased efficiency and flexibility of operation the power grid and improving the quality of services, among others," said Cláudio de Souza.