Smart meters
installation begins

Full rollout in South Mount Lebanon in a year-and-a-half

Electricity service providers are getting ready to install smart power meters for customers.

National Electric Utility Company (NEUC), the first of three power service providers to install smart meters, will begin installations Friday. Butec Utility Services (BUS) will start installing meters in two weeks and KVA will follow suit.

Smart energy meters produced by Spanish company ZIV will be installed in households. EMH meters, which are produced in Germany, will be installed in larger facilities, such as hospitals, schools, and hotels.

“NEUC’s rollout will follow a schedule where we start with one percent of the whole amount, then ten percent, and the remaining in the last quarter of 2019,” said Carla Aoun, General Manager of NEUC, a subsidiary of Debbas.

Over 200,000 meters will be installed in South Mount Lebanon and Chiah region, stretching from Jnah to Mdeirej and towards Awali Bridge.

“The meters will be installed at zero cost for subscribers, as Electricité du Liban (EDL) will bear the full cost,” Aoun said.

The entire project will cost $350 million, which should be recoverable by the utility within three years, according to Kamal Hayek, EDL Chairman.

Meters to be installed were tested for seven months in European labs, and an additional two weeks at the Chiah Municipality last month.

Smart meters installation is a major component of the services offered by NEUC, KVA, and BUS, the three service providers contracted by EDL for maintenance and bill collection.