RAJSHAHI, Oct 8, 2020 (BSS) – Northern Electricity Supply Company (NESCO) Limited has launched its programme for installation of five lakh smart prepayment meters in its areas today.
The NESCO will install around five lakh smart prepayment meters 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, the state-owned company 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.
State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Nasrul Hamid inaugurated the installation works through a video conference from Dhaka.
Mayor of Rajshahi City Corporation AHM Khairuzzaman Liton and Fazley Hossain Badsha, MP, joined the virtual ceremony from their respective offices.
NESCO Managing Director Zakiul Islam, Executive Directors Abdul Aziz and Syed Golam Ahammad, Chief Engineer Abdur Rashid and Director of the project Mahbubul Alam Chowdhary also joined the opening programme from Rajshahi end.
Zakiul Islam said the three-year project will be implemented in 16 power supply units under Rajshahi, Natore, Chapainawabganj, 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.