The Metal and Engineering Corporation of Ethiopia has agreed to replace the electric meters operated by the Ethiopian Electric Power Corporation. The project is valued at nine billion birr and will exchange electric meters for new ‘smart’ meters.
The new ‘smart’ digital meters are expected to automatically register electric consumption and report back to EEPCo without requiring manual reading like the analog meters currently being used. 
MetEC has employed an estimated 2000 workers to be paid per every new meter they install according to sources.
EEPCo however cannot offer more detail at this point because the two companies are still negotiating the details said Misikir Negash Public Relations Head of the Corporation.It is to be remembered that The Ethiopian Electric Power Corporation is requiring all factories in Ethiopia to install devices that guarantee efficient use of power.
The efficiency devices are expected to adjust the difference between real power and apparent power in the use of electricity to a ratio of one.
The Metal and Engineering Corporation will produce the devices known as power factor correctors. The efficiency devices will be made available to all factories eventually on a one year interest free credit arrangement according to Miskir.
It is expected that once the installation of the devices is finalized the load on transmission lines and transformers operated by EEPCo will be reduced said Miskir.
EEPCo has selected 5058 companies for an initial test run of the devices. The companies were selected on their low power factor, measuring efficient use of electricity.
Source: Capital
