New Delhi, 7 July 2022: Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW), has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with REC Limited, a public infrastructure finance company to collaborate on activities to improve the operational and financial sustainability of discoms through holistic deployment of smart meters, strengthening of power distribution networks, and improved quality of service for electricity consumers.

The MoU was signed today in the presence of Mr R. Lakshmanan, Executive Director, RECL, and Dr Arunabha Ghosh, Chief Executive Officer, Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW). Under this partnership, in addition to providing research and evaluation support, CEEW will collaborate with REC Ltd to conduct primary and secondary research to help discoms in their efforts to deploy smart meter. CEEW’s research will also help to leverage smart metering infrastructure for improved service delivery and ensure a positive consumer experience.

Commenting about the partnership, Mr R. Lakshmanan, Executive Director, REC, said, “This partnership provides us with a framework for future collaborative projects that can help improve the performance of discoms while bringing down their financial losses. We aim to engage CEEW as a knowledge partner with REC for the implementation of the RDS scheme and build capacities within REC and discoms to undertake evidence-based research.

Dr Arunabha Ghosh, CEO, CEEW, further said, “We are delighted to sign this MoU with REC and collaborate in several ways, including the use of technology and digitalisation, to make India’s power sector more efficient. Improving the financials and operational efficiency of distribution companies, through the deployment of smart meters, is a major policy imperative. Without financially sustainable discoms, India’s energy transition will take much longer than desirable. This collaboration will allow us to support the ongoing transition in the power sector, through on-ground research and evidence-based policymaking.”

The MoU will enable the parties to study the best practices and regulations concerning the operation, management and use of smart metering infrastructure. The parties will also work together to implement and evaluate innovative strategies to improve operational efficiencies and financial sustainability of DISCOMs.

Contact: Riddhima Sethi (CEEW), [email protected]; Mihir Shah (CEEW), [email protected]