Smart meter drive suffers major delay

The launch of a statewide roll-out of over 30 million smart power meters in Tamil Nadu is heading into trouble after the tendering process for the rollout of the advanced metering infrastructure has stagnated, creating fresh doubts about whether the project can meet the March 2028 deadline set by the Union government under the Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme.

- HD Bureau

The Tamil Nadu Power Distribution Corporation Ltd floated tenders worth roughly ₹19,234 crore in six packages in March this year, covering a combined target of 3.04 crore meters. Bids closed in early August but technical evaluation has not yet identified the L1 bidder or secured the necessary approvals from the energy and finance departments.

Sources inside TNPDCL warn that timelines are slipping.