Liberty Lake-based manufacturer Itron Inc. has garnered a three-year contract with AKSA Energy, which it describes as the largest private gas utility in Turkey.

Through the contract, the value of which wasn't disclosed, Itron will provide 745,000 residential, commercial, and industrial gas meters to 20 different regions served by AKSA.

Itron began discussions with AKSA regarding the work in 2011, and Angela Lockwood, Itron's global public relations manager, says the company beat out Turkish competition for the contract.

Sharelynn Moore, Itron's vice president for corporate communications, says, "This (contract) supports Itron's broader strategy to provide global technology."

The contract is part of Turkey's plan to increase the gas pipeline infrastructure to better accommodate the country's increased energy consumption. Remi Brill, Itron regional vice president and managing director of EMEA Energy, a unit through which Itron serves Europe, the Middle East, and Asia, says the company has been in the Turkish market serving other clients since 2002.

Yasar Aslan, CEO of AKSA, says in a press release that the Turkish utility has used meters provided by Itron for years.

"AKSA plays a key role in the Turkish market and relies on Itron for positioning us for the future," he says.

AKSA was founded in 1968 and has 12 offices in Asia, Europe, and Africa. The energy subsidiary, AKSA Natural Gas, began business in 2003.

Itron garnered a couple of similar international contracts earlier this year, including one with Algeria and another with Azerbaijan, a country east of Turkey.

With a population of more than 73 million people, Turkey is located north of Syria and Iraq and separates the Mediterranean and Black seas.

Itron provides energy and water resource management to almost 8,000 clients globally. The company employs more than 9,000 people in 130 countries.

Itron's reported first-quarter net income of $25.5 million, or 63 cents a diluted share, down from $27.1 million, or 67 cents a share, in the 2011 first quarter. Its second-quarter earnings were to be released the afternoon of Aug. 1 and weren't available at press time.