Meters will tackle power theft in Guyana

Georgetown, Guyana — (METERING.COM) — March 3, 2008 – Prepayment meters, and meters that record instances of tampering, will soon be introduced by the Guyana Power and Light Company (GPL) in an attempt to minimize revenue loss caused by energy theft. CEO Bharrat Dindyal reports that non-technical losses are close to 30 percent – the highest in the region by far.

The GPL is hampered in its efforts to minimize energy theft by the threat of violence that is often directed at utility teams in the field identifying cases of tampering. The utility says that if it were able to collect the revenue it currently loses to theft, it could significantly upgrade its aging infrastructure and improve service to customers. The investment in the new meters for both C&I and residential customers, estimated to be between $15 and $20 million, is regarded as well worth while in terms of reducing non-technical losses and improving revenue recovery.