Private network company Expeto landed a five-year contract involving a US public utility’s moves to accelerate grid modernisation and bolster renewable energy initiatives.

Portland General Electric (PGE) made the move after a year of laboratory tests to validate the performance and coverage of Expeto’s platform. The virtual private network is mostly based on 4G connectivity from Tier-1 mobile operators, meaning the utility company did not have to acquire spectrum.

The utility stated its private network will enable automated grid operations and monitoring of field conditions with smart sensors and devices. It also includes digital technologies for enhanced employee safety and charging stations for electric vehicles on the public grid.

PGE stated the network will eventually cover 4,000 square miles and connect 250,000 devices.

Ananth Sundaram, senior manager of grid asset engineering at PGE, stated the company believed Expeto’s set-up was more cost effective than committing a large amount of capital for a new network which would take years to build.

PGE is working to meet mandated targets including an 80 per cent decrease in greenhouse gas emissions associated with serving Oregon retail electricity consumers, compared to its baseline emissions levels by 2030​.

Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.