Vermont’s electricity grid is learning to talk back, thanks to a partnership between technology giant IBM and the state’s VELCO transmission company that the firms say is a model for smart grid efforts across the US.

A new communications and control network will be stung along more than 1000 miles connecting transmission substations to Vermont’s distribution utilities as part of efforts to improve power grid reliability and security, the companies said in announcing their partnership at the DistribuTECH conference this week.

Check out a Smarter Planet blog post from the company on the Vermont project.

The IBM system, part of its Intelligent Utility Network solution, “provides the communications capability to relay information back to the utility about usage, voltage, existing or potential outages, and equipment performance,” the company said in announcing the deal. Utilities will be able to improve power quality and avoid power outages, or resolve them faster, IBM said.

Vermont Governor Peter Shumlin called the agreement “another concrete step toward our long-term goal to make Vermont a national model for energy policy – a source of best practices and technical assistance as the smart grid rolls out nationwide.”

IBM has been actively pursuing smart grid and smart meter projects across the globe, including in Malta, Brazil and South Korea.