New metering system in Arunachal to curb power pilferage

Power pilferage and non-payment of electricity bills in this Arunachal Pradesh capital will no longer be a cause of concern for the state government as it has introduced a unique metering system to make consumers more energy conscious.
The Pre-Paid Energy Meters and AMR (Automated Remote Metering) meters were introduced here last month.
According to power department officials, the pre-paid meters will be fitted at the homes of about 32,000 consumers with a total cost of Rs 85 crore, including maintenance charge for a period of five years to be paid to the Udaipur-based Secure Energy Meter Limited, the implementing agency.

"To check huge transmission loss and heavy losses incurred by the department due to pilferage of electricity as well as non-payment of bills, this pilot project has been initiated to overcome all these problems and enrich the state coffer," Power (Electrical) Minister Tanga Byaling told PTI.
"If the project succeeds, it will be implemented throughout the state in a phased manner for power to become one of the highest revenue generating departments," he said.
The new initiative was taken up in view of a large number of unauthorised power consumers in Itanagar, Naharlagun and Nirjuli areas.

"The department is unable to check these unauthorised connections at the moment," Power Chief Engineer (Western Electrical Zone) Jumtum Tato said.

"Now pre-paid meters will not only make consumers more energy conscious but these are also known to curb wastage of power in transmission and cut distribution losses," he said.
With zero installation cost, a consumer can recharge according to necessity and save power. The meters will display remaining credit and can be recharged in accordance to this.
"So far a total of 600 such meters have been installed. We are targeting to cover 3000 consumers by March 2015," Tato said.
He further said that the department has also launched AMR which would be available to 30 per cent consumers of the total 32,000 planned.

"This will be installed in post paid connections but the bill will have to be paid in advance," he said.
The monthly power requirement for Arunachal is 130 mw and the state capital alone consumes on an average of 32 mw. 91 per cent of the total power requirement of the state was being fulfilled from the allocation of the central sector share.
Being predominantly run by river-based hydro projects, power production from central sector generating stations was seasonal and so generation drastically falls during lean season.