CHENNAI: The Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation (Tangedco) will issue a tender for the installation of smart meters across the state by December 15, Electricity Minister V Senthil Balaji has told TNIE.
The standards of the bid, including project cost, are being prepared, he said, and promised that Tangedco would fund the meters and wouldn’t charge consumers for them. A senior Tangedco official explained that smart meters are to be installed under the centre’s Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme (RDSS). The union government allotted Rs 3,03,758 crore for 13 states, including Tamil Nadu, whose share is Rs 10,790 crore.
“In the first phase, the centre will have to release Rs 8,600 crore. To get this fund, it is mandatory to float a tender for installation of smart meters. The centre recommends using a turnkey contract, in which the contractor both designs and constructs a facility. The work will go to the lowest bidder,” he added. The official also pointed out that Tangedco has invited its usual bids (not for a turnkey contract), so top-level officials are discussing the matter with the state government.
Another official added that as of March 31, a total of 1,00,900 smart meters had been installed in Chennai’s Thyagaraya Nagar under the smart city project. These were postpaid smart meters. To make them prepaid ones, the state government will have to take a policy decision.
“Tangedco has 3.25 crore consumers. There are no meters for agriculture (22.87 lakh) and hut (9.75 lakh) connections, so the power utility is planning to install smart meters for these services too,” the official said, and added that as per the norms, smart meters must be installed by 2025-26.
The RDSS aims to reduce aggregate technical and commercial losses across India by 12-15% by 2024-25 with a financially sustainable and operationally efficient distribution sector.