The Central Electricity Authority (CEA) has proposed amending the Central Electricity Authority (Installation and Operation of Meters) Regulations, 2006, to mandate that all Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) systems include prepayment functionality and be interoperable with CEA guidelines.

Stakeholders can share their objections/suggestions before March 26, 2026.

All consumer connections with a current-carrying capacity beyond the capacity specified in Indian standards (IS) will be provided with meters having an automatic remote meter reading facility or smart meters, as per the relevant IS.

In areas outside the distribution company’s (DISCOM) communication network, installation of prepaid smart meters will be allowed subject to approval by the respective state electricity regulatory Commission.

The smart meters conform to the relevant Indian Standard with an accuracy class of 1.0/0.5 S and will act as an interface meter for the consumer permitted open access at a voltage level of at least 650 V.

Consumers directly connected to the interstate transmission system, the intrastate transmission system, or a DISCOM that has been permitted to offer open access at a voltage level exceeding 650 V, must install a main meter and a check meter at the consumer’s premises.

Additionally, they must install a standby meter at consumer premises on a separate instrument transformer or at the respective DISCOM’s substation.

Consumers permitted to have open access at a voltage level not exceeding 650 V must install the main meter and check it at the consumer premises.

As of November 15, 2025, the Ministry of Power reported that 47.6 million smart meters have been installed across the country so far under various programs, while 203.3 million meters have been approved under the Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme based on proposals submitted by the states.

Last year, the Ministry of Power constituted a steering committee and a sub-working group of domain experts to standardize training modules and create standard operating procedures/guidelines for data utilization, standards-based regime adoption, and cybersecurity practices on smart meter data analytics for DISCOMs.