Smart electricity metre prices drop nearly 40%

Energy Minister Awais Leghari said that the prices of smart electricity metres have fallen by around 40 per cent, a move he said would lead to massive national savings. In a statement, the minister said that the reduction in prices would result in annual savings of up to Rs150 billion at the national level, following timely and effective measures taken to strengthen transparency and competition in the procurement process.

Leghari said that improved transparency and the adoption of international competitive standards had helped electricity distribution companies procure smart metres at much lower prices. As a result, the cost of a three-phase smart metre has dropped from Rs45,000 to Rs25,000, while the price of a single-phase metre has been reduced by Rs7,000.

He said, regulatory improvements introduced through the Pakistan Engineering Council, had also played a key role in enabling fair competition, allowing international companies to participate fully by removing long-standing barriers.

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According to the minister, continuous monitoring and the introduction of transparent, competitive benchmarks for smart metres have driven prices down steadily. The estimated Rs150 billion in annual savings is expected to be utilised by power distribution companies to replace faulty and outdated metres.

Leghari said the lower cost of new metres would also save electricity consumers billions of rupees, particularly by reducing expenses reflected in demand notices for new connections.

He added that smart metres would help eliminate incorrect metre readings, enable faster detection of electricity theft, and provide several consumer-focused benefits, including prepaid billing, real-time monitoring of electricity usage, access to consumption data, quicker power restoration, and reduced dependence on line staff.