In July, Anvar Gaibullaev, the First Deputy Chairman of Regional Electric Networks, informed journalists that a new billing system for electricity consumption would be introduced in Uzbekistan starting August 1 of this year.
Currently, the electricity consumption records for consumers are managed based on a billing payment system introduced in 2012.
"We needed a modern billing system. Technical requirements for the new system were developed by the end of 2022. From August 1 this year, the entire country was supposed to update to this system. At present, this system has been implemented in trial mode in the Yakkasaray district of Tashkent city," said Gaibullaev.
The consumer portal on the Regional Electric Networks website has not been operational since the beginning of August.
Initially, the company announced that from July 31, 2024, at 23:50, until August 5, 2024, at 22:00, maintenance work would be carried out at the data processing center due to the launch of the new “HET BILLING” software complex.
"During this period, there may be technical disruptions in making online payments for electricity and obtaining information from personal accounts. At the same time, we remind consumers that those with outstanding debts will not be automatically disconnected from the network to ensure convenience," the official statement said.
However, on August 6-7, the personal account was still not operational. As of August 7, 17:00, access to the personal account was still unavailable. Visitors to the website encounter the following announcement:
"Due to the launch of the new 'HET BILLING' software complex by 'Regional Electric Networks,' technical work is currently being conducted to adjust the system, and as a result, the actual information on the Consumer Portal will be gradually updated until August 7, 2024."
Why is the launch of the new billing system delayed?
Kun.uz contacted the press service of Regional Electric Networks asking for a comment on the situation. According to them, the complexity of implementing the new billing system is causing the delay.
"We have 8 million consumers, and their annual data is being transferred to the new billing system. This is not a simple task; it is not easy. We need to double check the data. It is our job to get this right; tomorrow we will be responsible for it. We have already opened other functionalities, including payment options and notary information on August 5. Currently, the only inconvenience for consumers is not being able to view their balance. Transferring the data is taking time.," said the company’s press secretary, Fahriddin Nuraliyev.
