Centre notifies to switch over smart meters with prepayment feature

The Central government has notified the timeline for the replacement of existing electricity meters with smart meters with prepayment feature.

All consumers, other than agricultural consumers in areas with communication network, should be supplied electricity with smart meters working in prepayment mode, conforming to relevant IS, within specified timelines.

All Union Territories and electrical divisions having over 50% consumers in urban areas with aggregate technical and commercial (AT&C) losses of more than 15% in the financial year 2019-20, other electrical divisions with AT&C losses more than 25% in the financial year 2019-20, all the government offices at the block level and above, and all industrial and



commercial consumers, should be metered with the smart meters with prepayment mode by December- 2023.

All other areas should be metered with smart meters with prepayment mode by March, 2025, provided that in areas which do not have a communication network, installation of prepayment meters, conforming to relevant IS, may be allowed by the respective State Electricity Regulatory Commission.

All consumer connections having the current carrying capacity beyond that specified in relevant IS, may be provided with meters with smart meters having AMR facility.

All feeders and distribution transformers (DTs) must be provided with meters having an AMR facility or covered under AMI, as per the specified timelines.