As part of the government campaign to ensure uninterrupted power supply, 70.20 lakh prepaid metres will be installed during the next financial year (FY) 2023-2024.
An official familiar with the process said the government would bring all 4.19 crore electricity subscribers under prepaid metering system in phases, while it installed 46,77,658 metres across the country.
“Prepaid metres would make an effective contribution to the economical use of electricity and gas,” State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Nasrul Hamid told BSS recently.
He said the government plans a move to install 4.19 crore prepaid metres to ensure cent per cent prepaid metering system in phases to reduce the system loss, ghost billing, consumers’ sufferings and other anomalies in the power sector.
Six power distributor companies under the power division have been working to install prepayment metres across the country, Nasrul added.
Talking to BSS, Director General of Power Cell Engineer Mohammad Hossain said Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB), Dhaka Power Distribution Company (DPDC), Dhaka Electric Supply Company Ltd (DESCO), Bangladesh Rural Electrification Board (BREB), West Zone Power Distribution Company Ltd (WZPDCL) and Northern Electricity Supply Company Limited (NESCO) are working to install prepaid metres.
The prepaid metering system can reduce accounts receivable and non-technical losses up to zero per cent. The BPDB took a pilot prepaid metering project in Chattogram, before installing prepaid metres across the country, the DG said.
According to the ministry sources, the DPDC will bring all of its 15,37,824 subscribers, Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB) at 34,97,196, Dhaka Electric Supply Company Ltd (DESCO) at 11,20,145, Bangladesh Rural Electrification Board (BREB) at 3,20,00,000, West Zone Power Distribution Company Ltd (WZPDCL) at 13,53,820 and Northern Electricity Supply Company Limited (NESCO) at 16,65,257 under prepaid metering system in phases.
As the largest electricity supplier in Dhaka, the DESCO installed 6,04,557 prepaid metres. BPDB installed 14,46414, BREB at 13,10,568, DPDC at 5,92,522, WZPDCL at 3,72,513 and NESCO at 3,51,084 prepaid metres.
Earlier, the Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission (BERC) asked the distribution companies to increase the number of top-up booths so that the consumers can easily recharge their prepaid systems.
As part of the government’s campaign to ensure uninterrupted power supply across the country, all distribution companies were working relentlessly to bring down power disruption to zero level by 2025.
The state minister said that a number of projects have been undertaken for ensuring uninterrupted electricity facility to subscribers as the government has brought 99.85 per cent people under power access, adding, “We are carrying out various projects to bring all types of electrical wires and transformers underground.”
The present government’s sincere efforts and timely initiatives, the power sector is continuing success and boosting up the country’s economy, as the government increased power generation to 25,284 MW, he said.
Nasrul added that the government has provided power connections to 3.11 crore new consumers with expansion of 3.59 lakh kilometres new distribution line and 5,017 circuit kilometres of transmission line in the last 13 years.
