Background
The Asia-Oceania Regional Council of CIGRE (AORC-CIGRE) was established in May 2000 and officially endorsed as part of CIGRE organization in February 2001. The main objective of AORC-CIGRE is to promote and encourage CIGRE activities among members in the Asia-Oceania region who have many common interests and issues to be addressed reflecting present industry conditions and trends in the region.

Technical Meeting is one of the activities of AORC-CIGRE aimed at promoting greater regional exchange of information and knowledge in the power industry. Up to now Technical Meetings have been organised in conjunction with Administrative Meetings and technical reports were of invited contributions. AORC-CIGRE is extending the Technical Meeting to ‘Regional Technical Meeting' where formal call for papers and invited contributions are made in order to encourage wider participation. The first Regional Technical Meeting will be held in Kuala Lumpur to be jointly organised by AORC-CIGRE and the Malaysian National Committee of CIGRE (MNC-CIGRE).

ICT and the Electricity Industry
In the 1960's, electricity utilities were among the first few industries in the world to use computers and communication technologies in their usiness - payroll and billing information and system operation – SCADA and EMS. Over the years the use of these technologies have increased tremendously and now the two components of information and communication technologies (ICT) are inseparable because information are not only required to be analysed but must be communicated throughout the enterprise if not the world. A new mega infrastructure is emerging from the convergence of electricity network and the ICT network. This will open the gateway to what is to be called “INTELLECTRIC" services that place unprecedented levels of individualized comfort, convenience, speed, efficiency and adaptive intelligence at the customer's fingertip - the customers-managed service networks.

The digital microprocessors is penetrating every aspect of the economy and society, thereby increasing the efficiency and precision advantages of electricity to the level, literally of individual electrons. This is shifting the business dynamic from the supply of commodity-value electricity to the delivery of value-added services through intelligent, customer-managed service networks.

Interactive customer-managed networks
These interactive customer-managed electricity/information networks are expected to open new lines of business provide a vehicle for increasing energy efficiency and establish and important value-chain for innovative technologies upstream and downstream of the meter. This is in keeping with the shift in business towards rendering "INTELLECTIVE" services of far greater value than the original input commodity-value electricity.

Regional Technical Meeting Objectives The main objective of the AORC-CIGRE Regional Technical Meeting is to provide a forum for engineers and managers in the region to exchange experience and knowledge on issues and challenges facing the electricity industry in the applications of ICT to improve business operational efficiencies and rendering "INTELLECTIVE" services.

About the Theme
Electricity industries in many countries around the world are undergoing rapid changes through reforms involving restructuring, privatisation and introduction of competition. This reform process that has started in Europe in the late 1990s is now being applied in the developing countries especially in rapidly developing economies in the Region. Recent unfavorable experience on electricity industry reform-notably in California - has however made many countries to review the industry's restructuring plan. But the underlying objective of making the industry more efficient for the benefits of the customers remains unchanged. At the same time, the world's economic structure and practices are also changing through 'globalization', reduction in trade barriers and increased used of ICT (Information and Communications Technologies) in businesses-e-commerce.

Whether or not industry reforms are being pursued in each country, the increased use of ICT in the electricity industry business and operation is unstoppable. In line with this trend, the theme for the '1st CIGRE-AORC Regional Technical Meeting ' will be:

Abstracts of papers must reach the secretariat on or before September 15, 2003. Submissions of abstracts can be made via mail, fax, or email to the secretariat at zainorens@tnb.com.my.

Preparation of Abstracts
The abstract of the paper should be prepared on Standard Bond paper of A-4 size (210mm x 197mm). After having been scrutinized and accepted, the author will be notified for preparation of the full paper. Therefore, the text of the abstract of the paper must conform strictly to the following requirements and be free from errors.

Top/Bottom Margin : 25mm (Top margin on first page 35mm)
Left/Right Margin : 25mm
Total Words : Not exceeding 500 words
Font Type : Times Roman
Title : 14 points BOLD CAPITAL
Author's Name : 10 points Bold Upper-lower
(Do not include prefix title -Mr/Mrs/Ir/Prof)
Affiliation : 10 points italic
Contact Address : 10 points BOLD
Telephone No. : 10 points BOLD
Fax No. : 10 points BOLD
Ext. : 10 points Normal
Print : Laser Print or Letter Quality

Meeting Venue
LOCATION OF PUTRAJAYA
Putrajaya, Administrative Capital of Malaysia covering an area of 4,931 hectares of land, is situated 25 kilometres from the capital city of Kuala Lumpur in the north and 20 kilometres from Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) at Sepang in the south.

The planning of Putrajaya emphasises the preservation of its eco-system while promoting an active, lively and caring society. The city is designed to provide opportunity for retreat from the pressures and stress of modern living.

Putrajaya is a planned city being built according to a series of comprehensive policies and guidelines for land use, transportation system, utilities, infrastructure, housing, public amenities, information technology, parks and gardens.

Regional Technical Meeting Venue
A grand 5-star hotel located in Putrajaya, and within a short distance to Cyberjaya and the industrial town of Bangi. The hotel is located within a 27-hole championship Golf Course and is easily accessible from Kuala Lumpur by the various highways leading to the hotel. The hotel is also about 30 minutes drive to KL International Airport and the Sepang F1 Circuit. All rooms are equipped with fast Internet access.