Visakhapatnam: Taking a big leap in the reforms in the energy sector, the Andhra Pradesh Eastern Power Distribution Company Limited (APEPDCL) is all set to introduce smart electricity metres which could ensure a win-win for both the discom as well as the consumers. As a pilot project, the APEPDCL would install about 2,000 smart metres in Visakhapatnam city. Right from facilitating the discom to monitor the electricity consumption and get automated metre reading, the consumers can also opt for prepaid connection with this new initiative.
Speaking to Deccan Chronicle, APEPDCL CMD Revu Mutyala Raju informed that they are presently seeking expression of interest from the qualified companies to implement the smart metering solutions along with supporting the smart grid infrastructure for a feeder in the city as a pilot project. “Besides putting an end to metre tampering, power thefts, distribution loss and irregularities in metre reading, the smart metres don’t require manual support in billing. The pre-paid connections through smart metres would also help improve the inflow of cash and reduce operational costs. They also enable the consumers to track their power consumption and help them in reducing their bills,” Mr. Raju added.
The fully automated metering infrastructure, which is pretty popular in countries like USA, UK and other developed countries, found its significance with a major shift in the power sector dynamics over the last decade. T.V.S. Chandra Sekhar, director (Fin), APEPDCL, informed that the Ujwal Discom Assurance Yojana (UDAY) mandates all the discoms to install smart metres for those who consume more than 500 units per month by December 2017.
“There are no much private players in the smart metering business and we are looking for the qualified partner to take the initiative forward,” Mr. Sekhar added. Besides driving a two-way flow of power and info bet-ween the discom and consumer, the smart metres can help the discoms attain accuracy in billing and metre reading. The proposed smart metres of the APEPDCL would consist various features, including remote connect and disconnect, prep-aid/post-paid configuration, recharging facility, alerts for the consumers, remotely configurable pricing, power limit and 6-month internal data storage.
