Installing 5 lakh prepayment meters in NESCO area underway
DHAKA, Sept 20, 2020 (BSS) – The process is underway to install five lakh smart prepayment meters under Northern Electricity Supply Company Limited (NESCO) area to ensure improved consumer services and bring down non-technical loss of electricity to zero percent, officials said.
“The NESCO will set up five lakh smart pre-payment meters in northern region of the country by June 30, 2022,” Project Director of Smart Pre-Payment Metering Project of NESCO Md Mahbubul Alam Chowdhury told BSS here today.
He said the NESCO will install smart pre-payment meters in Rajshahi, Natore, Chapainawabganj, Bogra, Pabna, Dinajpur, Sirajganj and Nilphamari districts.
“We have already installed around 1,000 meters including 850 single phase smart meters and around 1,40,000 meters will arrive in October as per our contract with Shenzhen Star Instrument Co., Ltd and Oculin Tech BD Ltd,” Chowdhury added.
Talking to BSS State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Nasrul Hamid said smart pre-payment meters ensure the consumers improved and uninterrupted power supply.
He said the government has introduced smart pre-payment meters as part of the government’s campaign to materialize digital Bangladesh.
“Smart pre-payment meters will bring down non-technical losses to zero percent and allow you to use electricity as per your budget and customers will get 1% rebate on net electricity bill. Monthly bill payment system is very easy,” Nasrul said.
According to the project details, the state-owned NESCO signed deal with JVC of Shenzhen Star Instrument Co., Ltd and Oculin Tech BD Ltd on January 15, 2020.
Meanwhile, materials worth about $4168317.19 arrived in the country under the contract and the rest of equipment worth about $68,02,476.71 will reach soon.
The Northern Electricity Supply Company Limited has also floated international tenders for packages 2, 3 and 4.
The project details, however, said in the pre-payment metering system, consumers will get Taka 100 from meters as emergency balance after finishing their balance and there is no possibility for outage due to the system. Even if the balance of the meter runs out on weekly vacation (Friday-Saturday), public holidays and after office hours (from 4:00 pmt to 10am next day), the meter will not be off.
Apart from this, different power distribution companies have also been engaged for installing smart pre-payment meters across the country to give the consumers hassle-free and improved services.
