On March 26, the Ethiopian Electricity Utilities Company (EEU) launched a nationwide smart meter installation project worth US$48.8 million, which plans to install 500,000 smart prepaid meters for existing and new customers.
The project includes 125,000 smart three-phase meters, 25,000 smart single-phase meters, and 350,000 offline modern single-phase prepaid meters. Currently, 60,457 single-phase meters have been installed, primarily serving residential and commercial users (with electricity consumption not exceeding 7.5 kilowatts); another 7,013 three-phase meters are under installation, targeting residential, commercial, and small industrial users with electricity consumption between 8 and 24 kilowatts.
Anwar Abrar, Executive Director of Communications for the project, stated that the new generation of smart meters will allow prepaid users to top up their accounts directly via their mobile phones, eliminating the need to visit service centers. Currently, over 67,000 users can purchase electricity at home anytime through mobile applications offered by commercial banks, Ethiopian Telecom, and Awash Bank. This system effectively solves problems such as lost or damaged prepaid cards, network outages, and inconvenient payment methods associated with traditional prepaid cards, significantly improving the convenience and efficiency of electricity use and management.
The rollout of smart meters is a key initiative in the modernization of Ethiopia's power sector. In recent years, rapid economic development and urbanization have led to a surge in electricity demand, but traditional metering and billing methods are inefficient and riddled with loopholes. The introduction of smart prepaid systems helps reduce electricity bill arrears, lower operating costs, improve grid management, and provide users with more transparent and convenient services.
In the current economic context, this project holds significant practical importance for Ethiopia. With persistent foreign exchange shortages, volatile coffee export prices, and ongoing security and humanitarian challenges in some regions, a stable power supply is directly linked to industrial production, people's livelihoods, and economic growth. The large-scale deployment of smart meters will help power companies improve billing efficiency and optimize resource allocation, while also supporting Ethiopia's "Digital Ethiopia 2030" strategy and driving the transformation of power infrastructure towards intelligence and modernization.
Upon completion, the project is expected to significantly improve the quality of electricity services nationwide, providing more households and businesses with a reliable and efficient electricity experience, and laying the foundation for larger-scale grid upgrades in the future.
