On Tuesday, Adani Electricity Mumbai Limited (AEML) announced that it is spending 500 crore rupees to install smart metres in the capital of Maharashtra. Additionally, it stated that by the end of 2023, seven lakh consumers would have smart metres installed. By FY25, the final 20 lakh consumers would have access to smart metres.
According to Chief Operating Officer Kapil Sharma, the electricity discom has placed 1.10 lakh smart metres as part of the first phase. The remaining 5.90 lakh will be deployed by the end of 2023.
As a result of the metres’ ability to remotely disconnect a metre in the event of non-payment, the company will be better able to collect a debt from customers and provide consumers with real-time reports on power use, according to the chief operating officer.
According to the managing director and chief executive of the company, Kandarp Patel, each unit of the smart metre might cost up to $1,000 more. Still, the operating cost reductions realised over time outweigh the upfront price.
Customers will be responsible for the additional costs, but the company’s MD predicted that the increased energy bills would be “insignificant” in comparison to the benefits of such metres.
The firm MD added that the AEML has been funding a number of technological and network development projects with up to Rs 1,500 crores annually. For the following two years, investments would continue at the same pace.
Customers may now use a video chat feature, a chatbot with artificial intelligence, and kiosk machines to pay their bills.
The managing director of AEML stated that plans are also being made to invest Rs 32 crores in 8,500 electric vehicles (EV) charging stations and that work is also being done on the front of home automation.