Oracle today announced the availability of Oracle(R) Utilities Network Management
System Release 1.8.0, an integrated suite of real-time operations
technology applications designed to improve network reliability, maximize
asset utilization, reduce outage durations and increase customer
satisfaction. This new release builds on the product's market leadership(1)
in outage management with new enhancements to help utilities improve
distribution management, including new applications for Fault Location,
Isolation and Service Restoration, as well as Volt/Var Optimization.

Oracle Utilities Network Management System Release 1.8.0 leverages
Oracle's application infrastructure -- including Oracle Database and Oracle
Fusion Middleware -- to provide a unified application and technology
operating environment. This combined application and supporting technology
enables utilities to leverage new functionality to support their
intelligent grid roadmaps.

"Maintaining high performance and service levels requires the
visibility to anticipate and respond to dynamic usage requirements," said
Quentin Grady, senior vice president and general manager, Oracle Utilities.
"Oracle Utilities Network Management System allows utilities to provide
rapid and cohesive responses to performance issues, and it serves as the
foundation for expanded services and enhanced operations."

The Fault Location, Isolation and Service Restoration application
within the new release integrates with distribution automation and
Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) systems. The application
automates fault isolation and determines how to efficiently restore
service. It also initiates closed-loop switching actions within 60 seconds
-- without requiring dispatcher interaction, enabling utilities to quickly
reduce the number of customers experiencing sustained outage durations.

Oracle's Optimal Power Flow Engine enhancements feature Volt/Var
Optimization to minimize system losses. Volt/Var Optimization provides
enhanced insight during system load changes -- providing system operators
with additional flexibility and responses for managing peak load
conditions.

Oracle Utilities Network Management System Release 1.8.0 also features
Automated Metering Infrastructure (AMI) Integration Adapters to support
Intelligent Grid and Smart Metering solutions. The integration of AMI
technologies into Oracle Utilities Network Management System provides the
ability to communicate with meters to enable restoration verification. As a
result, utilities can reduce the number of truck deployments when power has
already been restored to the meter and receive more comprehensive outage
extent notifications from meters reporting that power is off. Oracle's
field-proven interfaces are based on a Service Oriented Architecture (SOA)
implemented with Web services and exchanging MultiSpeak(R)-compliant
extensible markup language (XML) messages.

Oracle is providing additional capabilities to help utilities enhance
system security and comply with industry mandates. New Oracle integration
to Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) provides utilities with
consistent user name and password administration and management within the
system. Simplified user access for Oracle Utilities Network Management
System provides single sign-on to all network management system
applications.