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Time of India

State to install smart power meters in phased manner

Panaji: The state electricity department, through its contractor Digismart Networks Pvt Ltd, has begun implementing the smart meter project for the state, where 7.5 lakh electrical meters will be replaced with smart meters. The first smart meter is likely to be installed after six months, electricity department superintending engineer Mayur Hede told TOI . In the first phase, the electricity department's transformers and feeders' meters will be replaced, followed by govt offices and govt quarters. In the next phase, industrial and commercial consumers' meters will be replaced, followed by domestic consumers — the largest chunk of users in the state. The smart meters will function in a prepaid mode and will mark the end of the era of monthly bills for consumers. Consumers will be sent a reminder to recharge when their charge is getting over. 'There will be no concept of monthly bills. A consumer-friendly app will send regular notifications to the public. The benefits to consumers and the department will be multifold,' he said. 'Users will be able to check the actual consumption, sitting anywhere in the world. Consumers will also have access to daily, weekly, and fortnightly consumption records on the app. The app will alert the user in case the load increases above the sanctioned load and if one needs to apply for an increase in load,' Hede said. During power failure, the restoration time will be cut as the blackout will be communicated directly to the central server, he said. The system will also inform the department about the voltage profile of consumers in case of low or high voltage and help improve the quality and reliability of power. It will also help the department accurately forecast the load requirement, which will help in better load scheduling, the superintending engineer said. 'As we buy power from the power exchange, we have to be very accurate. If we ask for more power, we have to pay for it even if we don't consume it. Similarly, if we ask for less power, we will have to pay charges for overdrawal.' First a survey will be conducted to check the feasibility of installing the meters depending on the location. Follow more information on Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad here . Get real-time live updates on rescue operations and check full list of passengers onboard AI 171 .