Bhubaneswar: The Odisha cabinet has given its nod to the ‘MMSBY – Installation of Smart Meters Phase-I’ scheme for the financial year 2025-26, aiming to accelerate the rollout of 100% smart metering across the state while protecting low-end electricity consumers from additional costs.
Low-end consumers with contracted demand (CD) up to 2 kW have been exempted from paying meter rent. The state will bear Rs 735 crore towards one year’s rent for smart meters installed in domestic households across the state. “This will enable low-end consumers, who constitute 87 per cent of the total consumer base, to avail the benefits of smart meters without paying any meter rent and without any impact on the retail supply tariff,” Chief Secretary Monoj Ahuja told mediapersons after the cabinet meeting on Wednesday.
This move followed the Odisha Electricity Regulatory Commission’s (OERC) Retail Supply Tariff Order dated March 24, which abolished meter rents for smart meter users in this category effective April 1, 2025.
The scheme will also enable Tata Power-managed power distribution companies to fulfil the national mandate for speedy implementation of 100 per cent smart metering in the state, the Chief Secretary noted.
In line with the OERC directive, the Discoms have proposed installing 1,153,100 smart meters, replacement of non-smart meters with smart meters for 8,75,000, provide smart meters for an estimated 278,100 new connections to consumers with CD up to and including 2 kW in FY 2025-26 under the scheme, he added.
