Govt wants metering to cover rural areas

India’s total power requirement to increase upto 900 to 1,100 Giga Watt by 2030

Mr. B.K. Chaturvedi, Member(Energy), Planning Commission, urged power distribution utilities to work towards expanding electricity metering in rural areas of the country. “It is important for metering to do well in the country as the entire value chain of the power sector depends on realisation of dues from consumers. There is a need for expansion of metering in the rural areas. Even relatively developed States like Andhra Pradesh don’t have metering in rural areas”said Mr B.K. Chaturvedi.

Mr. Chaturvedi was addressing Metering India 2013, the 5th International Seminar organized today by the Indian Electrical & Electronics Manufacturers’ Association (IEEMA), the apex association of electrical equipment manufacturers in India.

He further added, “In absence of universal metering, all power theft, system inefficiencies, etc. are debited to rural consumers. Recently we had a programme with World Bank where they suggested us various measures and strategies to expand the reach of meters in the rural areas. According to NSSO data 2009, access of power in rural areas was only 65% and 75% nationwide. But according to the Census in 2011, power access in rural areas was even lesser about 55% only. In this programme, World Bank also stressed on the need of meters in the rural India to develop the industry with a greater pace.”

Mr.Chaturvedi emphasised on the various concerns which power industry is facing – one of the major being losses in the system, and suggested time of day (TOD), smart and prepaid metering to overcome losses, increase the efficiency and facilitate better demand side management by consumers.

“We have kept the target of 88.5 GigaWatt for power sector in the 12th Five year plan. For achieving this, an investment of 12.5 lakh crore is required in power generation, transmission & distribution.Smart Metering will surely help the Power sector, while there is a need to start prepaid metering which will help in avoiding electricity theft.”

“By 2030 the per capita income in India is expected to increase up to $6,000 to 8,000 per annum from current $1,400-1,500 per annum. This will automatically result in increase in demand for power and, therefore, electrical equipment. By 2030 the total power generation requirement in India is expected to grow to 900 to 1,100 Giga Watt” said Mr.Chaturvedi.

Mr. K KAgarwal, Member (Grid Operations & Distribution), Central Electric Authority, in his keynote address stressed on the need of funds for strengthening and expanding the power distribution network in the country. He said meters are the most important equipment in the value chain as it has tremendous capacity to cure the problems of the power sector like indiscipline, commercial and technical losses, in-efficient demand management. He also cited various schemes started by government to help industry to face crucial challenges. He emphasized the need of smart meters to make the Indian metering more efficient. Various countries are moving towards smart grids. 14 Pilot Projects have been planned across the country in which 50% funding will be made by Government of India and the rest 50% by state utilities.

Mr. Sunil Singhvi, Chairman, IEEMA Meter Division spoke about the role of metering in the power sector. “Metering plays an important role to boost the power sector. We have several success stories which we can be proud of. Success story of West Bengal is one of them” said Mr. Singhvi.

Mr. Vishnu Agarwal, VicePresident, IEEMAsaid, “The industry has geared up to meet the likely demand from the 12th Five year plan and even beyond. We have several success stories of Indian manufacturers earning name not only in India, but overseas as well”. “Indian calibration and testing infrastructure for electrical equipment is not recognized widely across the world and this hampers Indian manufacturers in capturing the global market in a larger way” said Mr. Vishnu Agarwal.

Metering India 2013, powered by IEEMA Meter Division, is the most prestigious event since its inception in 2004. It is known for its uniqueness and coverage of relevant and broad based topics which addresses expectations of all the stakeholders reflecting a deeper understanding and knowledge about their requirements.

The theme “Metering India 2013…a journey towards Smart Future” has been selected to provide deeper insights into the topics which are of utmost importance during the current scenario as well as the future into which the Indian Power sector is poised to take another quantum technological leap.

About IEEMA & ELECRAMA
IEEMA is a 65 year old Industry Association representing the Indian electrical, industrial electronics and allied equipment industry. IEEMA has over 750 Members with a combined annual turnover over US$25 billion. IEEMA is consulted for policy formulation as the industry-government interface, and evolves product standards alongside India’s standards setting body the BIS. IEEMA publishes statistics pertaining to trade and growth, export promotion, raw material price indices etc. IEEMA facilitates industry – user interactions through international technical conferences, roundtables and training/tutorials sessions, and the monthly publication IEEMA Journal.

ELECRAMA is IEEMA’s flagship event, and today is the largest tradeshows in the world focused on power transmission &distribution equipment, solutions and services. ELECRAMA provides an ideal partnership venue for domestic and international to meet, discuss, understand and explore the massive opportunity that India has to offer as a market.

For more information
Web: www.ieema.org. / www.elecrama.com