PFC Consulting Ltd (PFCCL), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Power Finance Corporation Ltd, has initiated the process of empanelment of advanced metering infrastructure service providers (AMISP) under the Centrally-sponsored Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme (RDSS).
The Union power ministry has appointed PFCCL as one of the project implementation agencies (PIA) for taking projects on implementation of smart metering under RDSS. As PIA, PFCCL is now seeking to empanel AMISPs that will undertake prepaid smart metering projects under RDSS.
To facilitate broad-basing of potential AMISPs, PFCCL has planned to empanel bidders under four categories depending on the project size, determined by volume of smart meters.
Accordingly, the four categories have been formed:
- Group 1: Up to 2 lakh smart meters
- Group 2: Between 2 lakh and 10 lakh smart meters
- Group 3: Between 10 lakh and 20 lakh smart meters
- Group 4: More than 20 lakh smart meters
The empanelment will be valid for a period of two years, which may be extended further by mutual consent. Currently, the sunset date for RDSS is March 31, 2026.
The empanelment will be valid even if RDSS is extended for gets subsumed in any other new scheme, the PFCCL bid document states.
Project Cost
PFCCL has estimated the project cost for the aforementioned four groups as follows:
- Group 1: Rs.180 crore (considering 2 lakh nodes)
- Group 2: Rs.900 crore (considering 10 lakh nodes)
- Group 3: Rs.1,800 crore (considering 20 lakh nodes)
- Group 4: Rs.4,500 crore (considering 50 lakh nodes)
Timelines
PFCCL has planned a pre-empanelment meeting with potential bidders on January 9, 2025 and the last date for submission of applications (technical and financial bids) is February 3, 2025. PFCCL will open the technical proposal on the same date.
Under RDSS, the volume of consumer smart meters sanctioned but pending award is estimated at 8.64 crore meters.
Broad status
According to official statistics, as of December 11, 2024, the number of consumer smart meters sanctioned under RDSS stood at 1979.26 lakh. Of these, 1114.99 lakh were awarded and 77.70 lakh were installed as of given date.
It may be mentioned that smart metering is also undertaken, albeit in small measure, under other schemes like Smart Grid Pilots, National Smart Grid Mission (NSGM), DDUGJY, etc. These schemes have been prevailing much before the advent of RDSS and hence have a larger volume of smart meters installed as compared with that under RDSS. It may also be noted that some projects under these schemes have been transferred to RDSS.
As of December 11, 2024, the total number of consumer smart meters installed under such non-RDSS schemes was 98.36 lakh, resulting in India’s total consumer smart metering population standing 176.05 lakh.
Speaking only of consumer smart metering under RDSS, the volume pending award is currently estimated at 864.27 lakh or 8.64 crore meters. This broadly represents the area of opportunity for AMISPs.
Apart from consumer smart meters, RDSS also envisages the rollout of distribution transformer (DT) meters and feeder meters.
Featured photograph (source: IntelliSmart) is for representation only
