By Marios Christofi
Demetris Nathaniel, EAC's Deputy Press Spokesman, informed K that the first 40,000 smart meters will be operational by the first half of 2024, with the remainder to be installed within 2-3 years.
Regarding the financial burden on consumers, the Deputy Spokesperson stated that initially, 50% of the cost would be covered by EAC, and the remaining 50% would be funded by the EU's European Mechanism for Recovery and Resilience. Thus, customers are not expected to bear any costs.
When asked if the 400,000 meters would cover all households, Demetris confirmed that 65% of residential and apartment buildings would be included. He emphasized that EAC's future projects would extend coverage to all remaining areas.
Benefits for consumers include remote data downloading for billing and profiling, support for advanced billing systems, remote disconnection and reconnection of supply, prevention and detection of power theft, load management options, direct consumer information, and support for prepayment.
The project encompasses an integrated intelligent infrastructure system consisting of smart meters, a telecommunication system, and a central data acquisition and transmission system. This system will be integrated with EAC's existing metering management system (MDMS).
