EPS will get loans for smart meters

Electricity stealing is very common in Serbia. One of the best precautions to prevent it is replacing the old electricity meters with more modern ones, thus enabling better user control. Even though there are no accurate data available, estimations show that the value of electricity annually stolen in Serbia is 80 to 100 million euros. This represents a serious problem for Elektroprivreda (EPS) and for that the company has announced that they are going to replace the existing electricity meters within five to six years.

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European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and European Investment Bank (EIB) should grant a loan for the meter replacement in the amount of about 80 million euros. International invitation to tender is expected to be published in the third quarter of this year. The exact number of the required meters is not known yet but it is certain that meters for households and transformation stations will be purchased. Introduction of remote meter reading and consumption control would drastically reduce the possibility of unauthorized electricity consumption. It will thus be possible to read, measure and control the consumption and to connect and disconnect consumers, or to limit the electricity consumption; all this from a single centre.

PHOTO: Ion Preasca

It is clear that the entire purchase process of the so called smart meters will be conducted by the EBRD experts. European Bank for Reconstruction and Development has recently confirmed that they are thinking about granting a loan to Elektroprivreda Srbije (EPS) in the amount of 40 million euros. The money will be used for purchase and installation of the modern electricity meters.

As stated on the web site of the Bank, the total value of the electricity meter purchase project together with the remote reading system and with the necessary infrastructure for network modernisation is 80 million euros. According to the plan, the project will also be financed by the European Investment Bank (EIB) with a 40 million euro loan.

According to the information previously published on the EBRD web site, the tenders for purchase of the meters should be published in the second quarter 2010 and the tender for consultant services for project support should be published in the third quarter of the same year.

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