Capgemini, one of the world’s foremost providers of consulting, technology and outsourcing services, announced today that it has signed a two-year contract extension with Hydro One Networks Inc., a large North American transmission and distribution electric utility, to provide Smart Metering services for the company’s Automated Metering Infrastructure (AMI) program, including, program management, process design, systems, integration and infrastructure management.

This contract reinforces Capgemini’s in-depth knowledge of the market and its industry-leading experience with Smart Metering implementation across North America.

In 2006, Hydro One launched a four-year program to deploy 1.3 million smart meters, a smart network to connect those meters to their data centers, and new and modified applications to process time-of-use billing.

“Hydro One recognized the operational and customer benefits of smart networks at the conceptual phase of our smart meter project,” said Myles D’Arcey, senior vice president, Customer Operations, Hydro One. “Capgemini has worked very closely with the Hydro One team since the inception of our AMI initiative, and their contribution has been integral to the success of the project to date. They have proven to us that they are capable of delivering a comprehensive solution that efficiently meets our program objectives.”

Capgemini was recently awarded the implementation portion of the contract due to the experience and capability of the design team and the completeness of the solution definition. The project will employ approximately 100 Capgemini staff, including global subject matter specialists and a large team of local project delivery professionals, providing the following services to Hydro One over the four-year project lifecycle:

Requirements Management: Subject matter specialist and project management resources to help collect, define and confirm business requirements;

Process Design: Process analyst and project management resources to help define and document new business processes to allow the efficient replacement of current meters, and define future-state operations, including billing operations, meter operations and meter network operations;

Systems Integration: Application development and project management services to plan and execute all systems integration;

Infrastructure Management: Design, installation and testing of new environments for enhanced applications, including application servers, data servers and network;

Customer Contact Center: Contact Center specialists to identify and estimate smart meter impacts to current customer care operations, as well as hiring and training call center staff to respond to anticipated customer needs;

Field Services: Development of meter deployment plans and implementation schedules for teams of field service technicians, as well as development, deployment and support of enabling technologies to drive substantial process efficiencies;

Program Management: Provision of a robust suite of project management services, including integration, scope, schedule, quality, and risk management.

“We’re pleased to work with Hydro One on this market-leading initiative,” said Gary Wasslen, vice president and Hydro One Smart Metering account executive, Capgemini. “Hydro One’s initiative is positioning them as a North American front runner in reaching completion of a full-scale AMI solution.”

About Hydro One

Hydro One delivers electricity safely, reliably and responsibly to homes and businesses across the province of Ontario and owns and operates Ontario's 29,000 kilometer high-voltage transmission network that delivers electricity to large industrial customers and municipal utilities, and a 122,000 kilometer low-voltage distribution system that serves about 1.3 million end-use customers and smaller municipal utilities in the province. Hydro One is wholly owned by the Province of Ontario. More information is available at www.hydroone.com

About Capgemini

Capgemini, one of the world's foremost providers of consulting, technology and outsourcing services, enables its clients to transform and perform through technologies. Capgemini provides its clients with insights and capabilities that boost their freedom to achieve superior results through a unique way of working – the Collaborative Business Experience – and through a global delivery model called Rightshore®, which aims to offer the right resources in the right location at competitive cost. Present in 36 countries, Capgemini reported 2007 global revenues of EUR 8.7 billion (approximately US$12 billion) and employs over 83,000 people worldwide.