The EPDCL has initiated the deployment of smart meters, commencing in Visakhapatnam, with the aim of reducing outstanding payments, especially in government entities and industrial sectors. Beginning the rollout with government agencies, the first smart meter was installed in the engineering division of the public health department at Seethammadhara in Visakhapatnam.
EPDCL’s chairman and managing director, Immadi Prudhvi Tej, stated, “We have initially targeted government connections and will subsequently extend to commercial, industrial, and residential connections. Residential users consuming less than 200 units are exempted from the smart meter requirement.” In a conversation with a correspondent, he disclosed that 30,000 meters have already been set up in the agricultural domain out of a total of 2.5 lakh farmers.
The EPDCL serves 60 lakh connections across its jurisdiction, encompassing the former regions of Srikakulam, Vizianagaram, Visakhapatnam, East Godavari, and West Godavari. Among these, only eight lakh meet the criteria for smart meter implementation. The distribution will include 1.09 lakh government consumers, 22,820 industrial consumers, 5.80 lakh commercial consumers, 3.23 lakh residential consumers, and 4,310 HT consumers.
The CMD highlighted that the complete coverage of the jurisdiction will take over a year, especially due to the gradual progress in rural and tribal areas where technical teams may encounter challenges. Consumer feedback has been affirmative, with no opposition reported within the Discom zone. The primary objective of the smart meters, operating akin to a prepaid system, is to diminish the backlog of unpaid bills.
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