Orion wins Apex award

Orion NZ Limited has been awarded the Apex Award for 2012 by Utilities Telecommunications Council (UTC).

This award recognises utilities that employ communications networks to benefit the communities they serve. To determine who should receive the award, UTC looks at the impact of the service provided and the difference it makes within the community.

Orion, an electricity provider in New Zealand, received the award based on the resilience of its private mission-critical network after a 6.3 magnitude earthquake impacted New Zealand.

The company’s MiMOMax IP radios survived the natural disaster, allowing personnel to start energy restoration while maintaining communications in the field. This wireless technology was vital to Orion’s response and shortened the length of power cuts.

UTC has acknowledged that the company’s earthquake response was of a standard that would, in its view, not normally be achievable.

“Together, Orion and MiMOMax developed the product over a two-year period and created a radio communications solution specific to Orion’s needs. The result was a world-first wireless network which has proved its resilience and value over the past 18 months,” says Orion chief executive, Rob Jamieson.

The wireless solution allows the company to ‘talk to’ various assets around the electricity network over a large and diverse geographical area and operate and protect the network by remote control.

“We are proud that our local product has been recognised internationally. UTC is an American body which represents critical infrastructure operators worldwide and this is the first time an Apex Award has been granted outside the US,” continues Jamieson.

The award ceremony was held on Tuesday, 22 May 2012 in Orlando, Florida.