1 Lakh Prepaid Smart Electricity Meters To Be Installed In Odisha

Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government has decided to extend installation of prepaid smart energy meters to other areas after initiating the process for all its offices.

The move will reduce power distribution losses.

The Odisha Electricity Regulatory Commission (OERC) had earlier recommended the government to install one lakh prepaid smart meters in loss-prone areas of the state.

“A task force was constituted by OERC for installation of smart meters in the areas of operation under four distribution companies (discoms). Different groups under the task force visited most of the places across India where smart metering is implemented successfully,” Energy Minister Dibya Shankar Mishra said.

Around 4,500 prepaid smart meters are being installed by Wesco in Sambalpur followed by Rourkela in the next phase.

The Minister also informed that around 2,899 pre-paid energy meters have been installed in government offices across the state. Nesco has installed 1,759 meters followed by 840 by Wesco. 150 each have been installed by Southco and Cesu.

Power theft and non-payment of bills are the main causes of loss to discoms, the Energy Minister said.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, in her budget speech on Saturday, had asked all states to replace conventional electricity meters with prepaid ones so that distribution losses can be reduced.