As part of the government's campaign to reduce non-technical system losses and ensure smooth revenue collection, power distribution entities have installed 87.50 lakh prepaid electricity meters till June. The installation process is ongoing to cover the remaining consumers.
Government's Ambitious Plan
The Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB) chairman, Engineer Rezaul Karim, stated that the plan is to bring all consumers under smart prepaid meters to reduce non-technical system losses and improve revenue collection. Although 10 to 15 percent of consumers may not be brought under the smart prepaid metering system, the goal is to maximize coverage.
Benefits of Prepaid Meters
According to an official familiar with the process, the Ministry of Power, Energy and Mineral Resources is executing a phased master plan to bring 100 percent of the country's over 5 crore power subscribers under the smart prepaid metering umbrella. This initiative aims to address the 5-7 percent loss due to non-technical reasons at the customer level, such as meter tampering, illegal connections, and other irregularities. Prepaid meters are expected to contribute effectively to the economical use of electricity.
The smart prepaid metering system offers several benefits, including eliminating bill payment hassles, providing warnings for low or negative credit, and offering a 2 percent discount on the standard electricity billing rate. It also allows users to obtain emergency credit and helps prevent abnormal voltage fluctuations.
According to BPDB statistics, six distribution entities have been installing the smart prepaid meters across the country in phases. These entities include BPDB, Bangladesh Rural Electrification Board (BREB), Dhaka Power Distribution Company Limited (DPDC), Dhaka Electric Supply Company Limited (DESCO), West Zone Power Distribution Company Limited (WZPDCL), and Northern Electric Supply Company Limited (NESCO).
