No Load Shedding

The Zimbabwe Electricity Transmission and Distribution Company (ZETDC) has proposed a $40 million budget for a smart metering project which will target the medium to large customers who were excluded during the previous exercise.
Addressing various delegates from different companies at a stakeholders meeting in Gweru, ZETDC Commercial Director Engineer

Ralph Katsande said the purpose of the workshop was to t medium customers to prepare them for migration to smart metering
platform doing away with the old technology. The smart meters will improve technology in the sense that meters will be linked to the back office through communication channel.

From the back offices meters can be seen, clients will also see meters remotely through the internet from their mobile devices or computers.
”We are here to update clients on the new legislation that penalizes inefficient usage of power, this year there will be no load shedding, we will supply enough power during winter. If power is used
efficiently we will reach the objective, ”said Engineer.
So far Zimbabwe is targeting 800 000 clients and the information campaign has started in Midlands which will simultaneously be launched across the country.

However, Revenue Assurance Manager Eng Wilfred Shereni mentioned various hindrances which delayed them in the implementation of smart metering.
”The technology of smart metering started in 2012 and we started with a pilot project, we discovered various technical uncertainties and it was very risky to deploy that technology ”said Shereni.