Prepaid Smart Metering: Union Power Minister's Focus on Govt Establishments

Gangtok, Apr 26 (PTI) Union Power Minister Manohar Lal on Saturday asked states to prioritise prepaid smart metering at government establishments including government colonies.

Addressing the regional conference of the power sector here, he said that the installation of prepaid smart meters at government establishments, including government colonies, will streamline optimisation of revenue from consumption of power.

"The installation of prepaid smart meters at government establishments, including residential colonies, will not only optimise revenue generation from power consumption but help reduce operational losses of the entities involved in power generation, transmission and distribution network," he said.

The regional conference was attended among others by Tripura's Power minister Ratan Lal Nath, Meghalaya Power minister A T Mondal, Mizoram Power minister F Rodingliana and Sikkim Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang.

The Union Power minister also underlined the importance of a future-ready, modern, and financially viable power sector to fuel the country's growth on its journey towards becoming a developed nation.

"The growth of power sector is important for achieving the goal of 'viksit Bharat'," Lal said, adding that the regional conference would help in identifying specific challenges and solutions with respect of the power sector of the North Eastern states.

He said that despite the minor gap of 0.1 per cent in meeting current power requirements, efforts must continue to meet future demands.

Since 2014, power generation has increased significantly through various modes of generation, including thermal, hydro, atomic, and renewable energy, he said and urged the power utilities to further augment generation.

Addressing environmental concerns and moving towards non-fossil power is essential for achieving the target of net zero emissions, Lal said.

He mentioned that through government schemes like RDSS and PM-JANMAN, difficulties in the distribution sector are being addressed, and left-out households are being electrified.

The Power minister highlighted that the distribution sector faces challenges due to poor tariff structures, suboptimal billing and collection, and delayed payments of government department dues and subsidies.

"It is essential to reduce the AT&C losses and the gap between the average cost of supply and average revenue realised, to ensure that the distribution sector becomes viable," he said, adding to achieve that, it is essential that the tariffs are cost-reflective.

Lal said states should work towards ensuring energy security and given the hydro-power potential, including pumped-storage, in the North Eastern region, the states should make efforts to effectively utilise that potential.

In his welcome address, Sikkim Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang highlighted the various steps taken by his state towards improving the quality and reliability of power supply.

He said that the state government proposed to take measures to further improve the power sector for which the interventions from central government will be required to resolve various issues.