Tangedco floats bid to appoint consultant for monitor smart metering

CHENNAI: In a step towards implementation of smart metering, Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation (Tangedco) has invited bids for appointing consultancy services for assisting and support in project management for smart metering implementation works under Revamped Reforms-Linked Results-Based Distribution Sector Scheme (RDSS).

As part of the Union government's RDSS, Tangedco proposes to install smart meters with prepaid functionality for all low-tension consumers including domestic, agricultural, huts and commercial service connections.

According to Tangedco officials, the consultant to be appointed would assist Tangedco in the preparation of an action plan and DPR for smart metering implementation as per the scheme guidelines.

A senior Tangedco official said that it has already started the process of floating bids for smart metering implementation under the Opex (Operation Expenditure) model. Under the Opex model, the company-awarded contract would be responsible for the procurement, installation and maintenance of the smart meters. As per the RDSS, Tangedco would get 15 per cent grants for smart metres procurement through the Opex model.

The official said that they plan to extend the smart metering for all the LT consumers including agricultural and hut services. "All the new agricultural service connections were provided with meters. We wanted to meter all the unmetered agricultural services to know the exact energy consumption to reduce our losses. Only if we know the exact energy consumption, we will be able to get the government subsidy," the official said, adding that agricultural and huts services connections would continue to get fully subsidised power supply even after the installation of the smart meters.

As part of the smart city project, Tangedco has installed 1.41 lakh smart meters in T Nagar in Chennai. "For the last two months, we have started taking energy reading only online. Earlier, we were sending assessors to cross-check the remote meter reading. We also started remote disconnection and reconnection for bill default," the official said.