APEPDCL Installs 5 Lakh Smart, Solar, Prepaid Meters In Eastern Districts
Visakhapatnam circle has emerged as the leader in smart meter revolution, with the distribution company installing around 1.19 lakh smart meters for the 17.45 lakh electricity connections in the undivided district.
VISAKHAPATNAM: AP Eastern Power Distribution Company Limited (APEPDCL) has installed nearly five lakh consumer meters, including over 22,000 solar meters and close to 9,200 Net Settlement Category (NSC) meters, across the eastern districts of Andhra Pradesh. The company’s Visakhapatnam circle has emerged as a frontrunner in the state's transition to smart and prepaid metering.
The modernisation drive has resulted in cumulative installation of 499,389 consumer meters so far, comprising 110,424 government consumers and 365,715 non-government consumers across various categories, including commercial, domestic, institutional, agricultural and industrial sectors.
Additionally, the utility has installed 22,657 solar meters across all operational circles, Eluru leading with 3,210 meters, followed by Visakhapatnam 2,743 and Srikakulam 2,682 meters.
Visakhapatnam circle has emerged as the leader in smart meter revolution, with the distribution company installing around 1.19 lakh smart meters for the 17.45 lakh electricity connections in the undivided district. Each meter, including associated requirements, costs approximately ₹6,000. But consumers are not being charged, as the meters remain APEPDCL’s property.
Given growing dues from government offices, APEPDCL's Visakhapatnam circle has prioritized smart meter installations at government institutions. Among the 3,000 government offices in the district, the company installed the first smart meter at the Executive Engineer's Office of the Public Health department in Seethammadhara last August.
The company has installed 13,507 distribution transformer (DT) meters and 572 feeder meters, showcasing comprehensive grid monitoring capabilities. Visakhapatnam has the highest DT meter count of 4,603, followed by Anakapalli (1,665) and Vizianagaram (1,309). The utility has also successfully installed 3,481 High Tension (HT) meters and 6,084 Low Tension Current Transformer (LTCT) meters across all operational circles.
APEPDCL has put up 2,919 Smart Meter to Smart Meter (SM to SM) installations, comprising 718 ALPC (Automatic Load Profile Controller) meters and 2,201 non-ALPC meters. The deployment covers different voltage categories with 1,720 single-phase meters, 1,039 three-phase whole current meters, and 137 three-phase four current transformer meters.
Circle superintendent engineer Shyambabu outlined the selective installation criteria: "Only consumers who use more than 200 units monthly will receive smart meters. Those with lower consumption, including group housing residents and government subsidy beneficiaries, will continue using their existing meters."
Shyambabu addressed the rumours about meter costs, stating, "There is a false belief that consumers are being charged for the meters. This is incorrect. However, smart meter users will have to pay in advance for the energy they consume based on their average monthly consumption patterns."
