Smart grid project falls behind time
![zd-defaultauthor-jacquelyn-holt.jpg](https://www.zdnet.com/a/img/resize/11fd7167fd91b2ae5414760192009d3993dc0676/2014/12/04/65c46474-7b68-11e4-9a74-d4ae52e95e57/zd-defaultauthor-jacquelyn-holt.jpg?auto=webp&fit=crop&frame=1&height=192&width=192)
in brief The Federal Government's $100 million Smart Grid, Smart City initiative is running behind schedule.
The selection of a winning state for the smart grid trial was scheduled for "an indicative announcement date at the end of April"; however, a spokesperson for the initiative has said a decision is still "pending".
The $100 million federally-funded project will see Australia's first commercially-sized smart grid installed in one of four states, with the trial aimed at testing a smart grid's success in reducing energy bills, resolving electrical faults and allowing consumers to self-manage their energy consumption.
The four states that applied for the trial included NSW, Victoria and Queensland, which have all submitted a bid for the smart-grid trial. A spokesperson for the Smart Grid initiative declined to confirm the last applicant.
The project was expected to start in July 2010 and finish in June 2013. The delay in announcing a successful bidder, however, may have a flow-on effect to the rest of the trial's schedule.