A.P. Minister for Energy directs officials to educate public about smart meters

Clarify doubts about the smart meters among public and take up their installation only after consumers agree to it, Minister for Energy Gottipati Ravi Kumar directed the officials of A.P. Eastern Power Distribution Company Limited (APEPDCL).

The Minister was in the City on Monday to hold a comprehensive review meeting with the APEPDCL officials in the presence of its Chairman and Managing Director I. Prudhvi Tej to assess power supply within the APEPDCL jurisdictionand the progress of the smart metering.

The Minister directed the officials to address the misconceptions circulating on social media through structured outreach efforts. He called on officials to engage directly with consumers, providing accurate information on where and why smart meters are being deployed.

“Ensure that any doubts are resolved before installations are taken up. I made it clear that no smart meters have been installed for agricultural connections in Andhra Pradesh, affirming that the rollout is restricted solely to industrial and commercial consumers,” Mr. Ravi Kumar said.

He directed the DISCOMs to proactively educate people on smart meters and clarify on the smart meter policy and dispell any misinformation or apprehensions around the technology.

Addressing infrastructure concerns, Minister expressed concern about supply disruptions and instructed officers to proactively tackle low voltage issues. He inquired about the status of the Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme (RDSS) works, and directed that local contractors be engaged to accelerate project execution. The Minister also reminded officials that Central funding for Phase II of RDSS will be sanctioned only after successful completion of Phase I.

Officials reported that the power supply is well aligned with demand, and emphasized that in nine out of 11 agriculture-focused districts, nine hours of continuous electricity is being reliably supplied to farming consumers.

Officials also briefed the Minister on the progress of the PM Surya Ghar scheme noting that Eluru leads in implementation, followed by Visakhapatnam, West Godavari, and East Godavari.