Pre-paid electricity meters will now be manufactured in Bangladesh.
The West Zone Power Distribution Company will be collaborating with China’s Hexing Electrical Company to develop the meters which will be manufactured at a rented factory in Shachibunia, Khulna. The companies will be signing the contracts on Sunday (Oct 21).
“We want to start the production from January. Before this, all the meters had to be imported and this project will be very cost effective” said West Zone Power Distribution Managing Director Md Shafiq Uddin.
“For now we will set up the factory on rented land and think about permanent premises in the future,” he added.
He also said that 500 thousand meters will be manufactured each year.
Currently, there are 31 million electricity consumers in Bangladesh but pre-paid meters have been supplied to only 1.5 million of them.
The government has given the power distribution company a target to set up 7.5 million meters which many think is a hard deadline to meet.
According to a survey by West Zone and Hexing, the meters which cost Tk 4,500 to import will be available for Tk 4,000 if made in Bangladesh effectively saving the State Tk 500 per meter.
Experts think that there is a huge market in this country for these meters. Considering the demand of 30 million consumers, these meters will be able to bring in the business of almost Tk 120 billion.
Shafique said that if all the other distribution companies invest in manufacturing, the whole bulk of production can be done in the country with only one or two factories.
Power department sources said that gradually pre-paid meters will be set up everywhere in the country, which will be effective in eliminating dues and cut down expenses which will be profitable for the power distribution companies.