The Indian State Of Uttar Pradesh Will Install 4 Million Smart Meters In Areas Prone To Electricity Theft

In recent years, compared with the domestic market space that is gradually becoming saturated, the development space of smart grid and electricity meters in India is simply unlimited. India is expected to invest $44.9 billion over the next 10 years to support the development of smart metering, distribution automation, battery storage and other smart grid market segments.

Let's take a look at the new initiatives of the Indian government and power companies in the deployment of smart meters.

Up installs 4 million smart meters

The Indian state of UttarPradesh has launched its long-awaited smart meter project from Varanasi. According to the plan submitted by the Uttar Pradesh Power Corporation to the Electricity Regulatory Authority (UPERC), four million smart meters will be installed in power theft prone areas between July 2018 and March 2021. Uttar Pradesh Power Company spokesman AlokKumar said the main purpose of the installation of tamper-proof smart meters is to prevent power theft, provide stable power, increase revenue, and save energy. Once the project is completed, Uttar Pradesh Power Company will save at least Rs 4,000 crore per year.

According to the plan, the distribution companies in Varanasi and Meerut are at the forefront of meter installations, followed by the other three distribution companies. It is estimated that 1.147 million smart meters will be installed in 10 cities under the Varanasi Power Distribution Company, 1.163 million smart meters in 15 cities under the Meerut Power Distribution Company, and 904,000 smart meters in 12 cities under the Lucknow Power Distribution Company. 629,000 smart meters were installed in nine cities under Agra Power Distribution Company and 157,000 smart meters were installed in Kanpur under KESCo Power Distribution Company.

Bihar has fully installed smart meters

In New Delhi, Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL), North Bihar Power Company (NBPDCL) and South Bihar Power Company (SBPDCL) signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to install 1.8 million smart meters in 130 towns and adjacent villages in Bihar.

Power Minister RKSingh said smart meters can improve the convenience, satisfaction and rational consumption of electricity for customers, reduce AT&C losses, improve the financial position of distribution companies, detect outages and restore them in a timely manner.

The memorandum calls for the meters to be installed in phases over the next 1.5 years. EESL will finance, build, and operate smart metering AMI solutions during the project. Through the Smart Meter National Program, EESL plans to install 250 million smart meters in India to improve customer billing efficiency.

In addition, the South Bihar Power Corporation (SBPDCL) also plans to install 2 million pre-paid meters for high and low voltage customers in urban areas, with deployment starting in September this year and scheduled for completion by September 2020 at an estimated total cost of Rs 8 crore.

Although the Indian electricity meter market is very attractive, for Chinese export enterprises, before entering the Indian market, they should fully analyze the local market entry threshold, measurement standards and policies, and formulate a comprehensive strategy to expand the Indian market with the goal of long-term growth.