Centre works on Rs 1.5 lakh cr plan to implement smart metering

The government is working to successfully spend the overall outlay of Rs 1.5 lakh crore for the implementation of smart metering projects across the country. According to Atul Bali, Chief General Manager of the Ministry of Power's National Smart Grid Mission, the government is moving forward with the Revamped Distribution Reforms scheme, which has a total budget of Rs 3 lakh crore, with smart metering accounting for a significant portion of that budget at Rs 1.5 lakh crore. At the second edition of the ETEnergyworld Smart Metering Summit, he participated in a Panel Discussion on Smart Metering as a Cornerstone for Power Reforms. He also mentioned that the government plans to install 25 million smart metres by the end of 2025, with a primary goal of 10 million metres installed by December 2023. As per Bali, Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) is one of the top five smart grid technologies, and smart metering will be a key intervention for smart grids shortly. He also said that in addition to revenue maximisation, smart metering will aid in improving reliability, lowering O&M costs, and integrating renewable energy. The summit brought together experts from all corners of the smart metering industry. Saurabh Kumar, Executive Vice Chairman of Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL), R P Singh, Chairman of the Uttar Pradesh Electricity Regulatory Commission (UPERC), R Lakshmanan, Chief Executive Officer of REC Power Development and Consultancy, Sanjay Banga, President of Tata Power's T&D, and Shashank Anand, Managing Director of Uttar Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam were among the speakers at the summit. Image SourceAlso read: Tata Power-DDL, Siemens to install over 2 lakh smart metres in Delhi Also read: EDF instals 1 lakh smart meters in first large deployment in India