Reuters: Itron Inc, which makes meters for the electricity and water industries, said on Wednesday the economic recession has not affected deployment of the company’s $1.4 billion in smart meter contracts with four major U.S. utilities. In an interview, Itron Chief Executive Malcolm Unsworth said projects with Sempra Energy’s San Diego Gas & Electric, CenterPoint Energy Inc and Edison International’s Southern California Edison “are all on plan according to what they originally …