Energy Ministry explains who pays for the cost of new electricity meters

As part of a program to modernize the energy sector in Uzbekistan, smart meters are being installed for consumers. The cost of these meters, including their installation, is 770,000 soums. In this regard, citizens have a question: who will pay for it, is it added to the tariffs for electricity consumption? At an interview with Kun.uz correspondent, Deputy Energy Minister Sherzod Khodjayev clarified this situation.

“The cost of meters of local manufacturers today is $49 in the equivalent in soums, which is determined at the rate of the Central Bank on the day the meter is shipped from the factory. The second factory supplies them at the same price. The winning bid for the Asian Development Bank is about $64 ($63.85).

Now, answering the question when the costs of installing meters will be covered, I should say that a special institute is developing feasibility studies.

They determine at what price electricity is sold to consumers. After the installation of these meters, the loss of electricity will be significantly reduced,” Deputy Energy Minister Sh. Khodjayev explained.

According to him, when developing the feasibility studies, the 2017 tariffs were conditionally adopted and the calculation was carried out in two ways.

“According to the calculations that are closest to reality, the costs of installing new meters will pay off in 8-9 years. However, this does not mean that during this period the consumer will pay the cost of meters added to the tariffs. Since we have a different approach to this issue,” Sherzod Khodjayev said. 

He also said that the sources of funding for the installation of new meters are the funds of the Asian Development Bank and the Bureau of Compulsory Enforcement.