THE Guyana Power and Light (GPL), over the next two years, will install a total of 50,000 more smart meters, allowing for reading to be done remotely and helping the company to cut down on operational costs.

This is according to GPL’s Divisional Director of Loss Reduction, Parsram Persaud, who was at the time speaking at a Public Utilities Commission (PUC) meeting with GPL to review the 2018 Operating Standards and Performance Targets of the state-owned power company on Thursday.

The meeting was held at Duke Lodge, Duke Street, Georgetown.
The divisional director noted that at the end of 2018, the company installed 30,000 smart meters.

He explained that the new system uses distribution boxes and insulated wires to minimise the instances of illegal connection that cause disruptions to the power distribution network.
This, he said also allows smart meters to reflect more accurate readings without the need to visit a consumer’s premises.

Further, Persaud noted that the new smart meter system was designed by a reputable company in US.

He also noted that a field audit will account for all persons using GPL systems legally and illegally.

The upgrade is being funded through a grant from the European Union and the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), and works are executed by China National Machinery Import and Export Corporation/China Synergy Electric Engineering Company (CMC/CSEEC) and Ramoutar and Sons Contracting Services.

The PUC is concerned about the billions of dollars in losses being suffered by GPL due to electricity theft and network issues. To underscore the gravity of this matter, the commission had highlighted in its latest report that the entity has lost close to US$450M since its inauguration in 1999.