RAJSHAHI, Oct 1, 2020 (BSS) – Around five lakh smart prepayment meters are going to be installed in different parts of the country’s northwest region aimed at checking misuses of power and getting actual revenue against the consumption of power.
Headquartered in Rajshahi, State-owned Northern Electricity Supply Company (NESCO) Limited will install the smart meters under a project styled “Installation of five lakh smart prepayment meters in NESCO areas” with an estimated cost of around Taka 414.83 crore.
NESCO Managing Director Zakiul Islam revealed this while addressing a seminar on installation of the smart meters at conference hall of Rajshahi City Corporation (RCC) as focal person on Wednesday.
City Mayor AHM Khairuzzaman Liton addressed the seminar as the chief guest, while Panel Mayor Shariful Islam Babu, Chief Executive Officer Dr Sharif Uddin and Secretary Abu Hayat Rahmatullah and NESCO Superintending Engineer Shirin Yeasmin spoke as special guests.
Zakiul Islam said the three-year project will be implemented in 16 power supply units under Rajshahi, Natore, Chapainawabgonj, Bogura, Pabna, Dinajpur, Thakurgaon, Panchagarh and Nilphamari districts.
Under the project, 4,67,200 single phase smart prepayment meters, 32,800 three-phase smart prepayment meters, 3000 data concentrator units, 17 utility vending stations, one central data center, one master information centre and one digester recovery centre will be installed.
In addition to the advance revenue collection the project will provide improved client-services side by side with bringing down the non-technical loss to zero level.
The mega scheme will also ease the demand side load management system together with halting the power wastage. Upon successful implementation of the project by June, 2022, the clients could use power upon its financial ability by using smart prepayment meters.
“Smart prepayment meters will bring down non-technical losses to zero percent and allow you to use electricity as per your budget and customers will get one percent rebate on net electricity bill. Monthly bill payment system is very easy,” Zakiul Islam said.
“We declared ‘Mujib Barsho’ as a service year. Our target is also to ensure 100 percent electricity coverage within this year,” he added.
In his remarks, Mayor Liton said smart prepayment meters will ensure the consumers improved and uninterrupted power supply.
He said the government has introduced smart prepayment meters as part of the government’s campaign to materialize digital Bangladesh.
Liton hopes the win-win situation will be created for both the smart meter marketing companies and the consumers.
He urged the electricity distribution company to ensure users’ satisfaction. Otherwise all the initiatives of the government will be useless, Liton added.