Smart meters aimed at better services, not higher revenue: TGSPDCL CMD

TGSPDCL CMD Jitesh V Patil said smart meters are intended to improve electricity services, transparency and reliability, not boost revenue. The Jeedimetla pilot covers 11,904 consumers, with a dedicated mobile application targeted for launch in November 2026.

Hyderabad: Amid concerns among consumers, TGSPDCL CMD Jitesh V Patil said smart meters and the smart grid system were intended to provide transparent, reliable and quality electricity services rather than increase the organisation’s revenue.

He said the technology would improve consumer services and make the power distribution system more efficient.

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On Monday, Patil visited Apurupa Colony in Shapurnagar as part of the Jeedimetla Smart Grid Pilot Project. He inspected the functioning of smart meters and the smart grid automation system.

Patil explained that smart meters allow consumers to monitor their daily electricity consumption. They can check how much electricity they use, when consumption rises and which periods account for higher usage.

Jeedimetla Smart Grid Pilot Project

The Jeedimetla project is one of the Smart Grid Pilot Projects sanctioned by the Union Ministry of Power across the country. It was designed to cover 11,904 consumers across all categories in the Jeedimetla and Shapurnagar sections.

The project’s key components include Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) for residential and industrial consumers, peak-load management, an Outage Management System (OMS) and power-quality monitoring.

The Union Ministry of Power sanctioned the project at an estimated cost of Rs 41.82 crore. It went live on March 30, 2019, and services were made available to consumers.

The National Smart Grid Mission (NSGM) and the Union Ministry of Power later approved a final project cost of Rs 29.86 crore, limiting the scope to single-phase smart meters and Distribution Management System (DMS) equipment.

A total of 8,882 single-phase smart meters have been installed under the project. Of these, 8,331 are currently operational, including 5,412 in the Jeedimetla section and 2,919 in the Shapurnagar section.

Officials explained that when a fault occurs on an 11 kV feeder, Fault Passage Indicators (FPIs), auto reclosers and sectionalizers help identify and isolate the affected section.

Power supply can then be restored to the remaining unaffected sections through an alternative route using Ring Main Units (RMUs), wherever technically feasible. This system helps reduce both the number of consumers affected by a power interruption and the duration of the outage.

Benefits of smart meters

Smart meters in the TGSPDCL Jeedimetla Division automatically record electricity consumption data. Officials said the system generates bills by the fifth of every month and sends them to consumers through SMS and email.

Reduced dependence on manual meter reading helps minimise reading errors and problems arising from estimated billing. Meter readings can also be collected when consumers are away from home, provided the communication system is functioning properly.

Dedicated mobile app planned for November 2026

The TGSPDCL SCADA and IT departments have jointly developed a dedicated mobile application for smart meter users to make services more convenient.

The application is currently undergoing testing and is targeted for launch in November 2026.

The proposed features include daily electricity consumption details, consumption records for the previous three months, estimated bills, monitoring of changes in electricity use and notifications about power supply interruptions.