The Andhra Pradesh power utilities will take up smart meters project introduced by the Centre to provide qualitative power, better services and accurate billing to consumers, besides increasing accountability, transparency and efficiency, and reduce technical and commercial losses.
In a teleconference, the power sector officials briefed Energy Minister P. Ramachandra Reddy on various aspects of the sector, including smart meters.
They said smart meters, an initiative of the Government of India, in association with Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), Government of United Kingdom, would be rolled out in the State.
Special Chief Secretary (Energy) K. Vijayanand said the Centre had decided to replace around 25 crore conventional meters with smart meters across the country as part of the Smart Meter National Programme (SMNP).
The move would help in addressing problems of the consumers regarding wrong billing, in getting reconnected after disconnection due to non-payment of bills, in saving electricity and monitoring meter readings online.
It would also help the power utilities in reducing Aggregate, Technical & Commercial (AT&C) losses, distribution losses and power theft.
Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Bihar, Rajasthan, Delhi and Telangana had signed MoUs on smart meters.
Published - October 16, 2022 09:29 pm IST