GMR Smart Electricity Distribution Company bags Rs 7593 crore contract for smart meter installations in UP

GMR Smart Electricity Distribution Pvt. Ltd, a subsidiary of GMR Power and Urban Infra Limited (GPUIL), on Monday said that it has been awarded a prestigious order worth of Rs 7,593 crore to implement a large-scale smart metering project in Uttar Pradesh by the Government of India.

The project will be initiated under the RDSS program-a timelines-based reforms plan initiated by the Ministry of Power.

“These wins underscore GMR’s commitment to pivot into green and technology-based energy business with customer-centric growth strategy. With this mandate, GMR group make its entry into the B2C business in the power sector at a substantial scale and will create value for GPUIL shareholders,” said Srinivas Bommidala, Chairman - Energy, GMR Group.

“We consider this as a good beginning for our Energy 2.0 strategy of new growth business areas in the Power Sector and have plans in the offing for further initiatives in this space,” Bommidala added.

According to a press release by the company, the project will span 22 districts covering prominent areas such as Varanasi, Prayag Raj, Agra, Mathura and Aligarh among others.

The order received under the DBFOOT (Design, Build, Finance, Own, Operate and Transfer) model, entails 75.69 lakh prepaid smart meters across two discos, Dakshinanchal Vidyut Vitaran Nigam Limited (DVVNL) and Purvanchal Vidyut Vitaran Nigam Limited (PuVVNL), making it the largest combined package order of its kind.

The scope of the project encompasses the design, supply, installation, commissioning, operation, and maintenance of prepaid smart meters infrastructure covering consumer premises, as well as at the network level, including distribution transformers and feeders for an aggregate period of 10 years, supported by cutting-edge technology and software solutions, ensuring end-to-end automated system management. 

Installation of smart meters will majorly contribute to the turnaround journey of the power distribution sector by eliminating billing and collection losses and thereby enhancing the financial sustainability of the discoms.

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