Desco eyes joint venture pre-paid meter plant

The Dhaka Electric Supply Company Limited (Desco) has invited expressions of interest (EoIs) from international pre-paid meter manufacturers to establish a joint venture (JV) pre-paid meter production plant in Bangladesh.
The last date for submission of EoIs is June 13 this year.
Among the five state-owned power distribution companies, Desco is the first one to take the initiative to establish a pre-paid meter manufacturing plant on the country’s soil.
According to the EoI document, Desco and other interested state-owned power distribution companies would hold a 55 per cent share. The rest would be held by the joint venture partner. The applicant or manufacturer needs to have a minimum of five years of overall experience in the production and supply of smart prepaid meters or prepaid meters with related services.
The applicant or manufacturer also requires a satisfactory performance certificate from the end user (must be a utility of electricity) with at least two contracts of design, manufacturer and supply of smart meters or prepaid meters, at least one from outside the manufacturer’s country, within the last five years.
The interested applicant or manufacturer shall provide all necessary and legal documents in order to launch a JV meter plant on a commercial basis with Desco, said the EoI document.
Desco managing director Brig. Gen. (retd) Md Shahid Sarwar told The Independent that the meter plant will be established and production will begin within a year of signing the contract with a joint venture partner. He, however, said neither the production capacity nor the location of the plant has been decided yet.
He said the prepaid meters would be effective for load management for the distributors and would have a positive impact on system loss reduction. “The prepaid metering system will ensure smooth supply of power across the country and can reduce accounts receivable,” he added.
The applicant or manufacturer of the prospective partnership would propose the cost estimate and investment plan for the project, he said.
Back at the beginning of the last decade, a group of students and teachers of the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) developed the pre-paid meter system. After that, on September 7, 2005, Desco introduced a locally made pre-paid meter system in the capital’s Uttara Model Town through a pilot project. Under the Desco pilot project, 14,000 meters were installed.
At present, only 91,885 of the country’s total 17.5 million power consumers use prepaid meters.

Desco eyes joint venture pre-paid meter plant

The Dhaka Electric Supply Company Limited (Desco) has invited expressions of interest (EoIs) from international pre-paid meter manufacturers to establish a joint venture (JV) pre-paid meter production plant in Bangladesh. The last date for submission of EoIs is June 13 this year. Among the five state-owned power distribution companies, Desco is the first one to take the initiative to establish a pre-paid meter manufacturing plant on the countrys soil. According to the EoI document, Desco and other interested state-owned power distribution companies would hold a 55 per cent share. The rest would be held by the joint venture partner. The applicant or manufacturer needs to have a minimum of five years of overall experience in the production and supply of smart prepaid meters or prepaid meters with related services. The applicant or manufacturer also requires a satisfactory performance certificate from the end user (must be a utility of electricity) with at least two contracts of design, manufacturer and supply of smart meters or prepaid meters, at least one from outside the manufacturers country, within the last five years. The interested applicant or manufacturer shall provide all necessary and legal documents in order to launch a JV meter plant on a commercial basis with Desco, said the EoI document. Desco managing director Brig. Gen. (retd) Md Shahid Sarwar told The Independent that the meter plant will be established and production will begin within a year of signing the contract with a joint venture partner. He, however, said neither the production capacity nor the location of the plant has been decided yet. He said the prepaid meters would be effective for load management for the distributors and would have a positive impact on system loss reduction. The prepaid metering system will ensure smooth supply of power across the country and can reduce accounts receivable, he added. The applicant or manufacturer of the prospective partnership would propose the cost estimate and investment plan for the project, he said. Back at the beginning of the last decade, a group of students and teachers of the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) developed the pre-paid meter system. After that, on September 7, 2005, Desco introduced a locally made pre-paid meter system in the capitals Uttara Model Town through a pilot project. Under the Desco pilot project, 14,000 meters were installed. At present, only 91,885 of the countrys total 17.5 million power consumers use prepaid meters.