The Sierra Leone government, spearheaded by Dr. kandeh Yumkella, the Energy Sector Lead and Chairman Presidential Initiative on Climate Change, Renewable Energy and Food Security (PI-CREF) is set to roll out tamper-proof smart electricity meters nationwide to improve energy management and combat widespread electricity theft.

An assessment by the Electricity Distribution and Supply Authority (EDSA) in Freetown revealed that approximately 80% of existing meters had been tampered with or illegally connected, resulting in significant revenue loss.

Dr. Alhaji Kandeh Yumkella announced the arrival of the initial batch of new, tamper-proof meters in Freetown. The government aims to install 350,000 of these advanced meters to overhaul the city’s energy infrastructure. Moyamba has been designated as the pilot region to test the effectiveness of the new devices before their broader implementation in Freetown later this year.

According to a source familiar with the technology, the new meters will provide immediate alerts upon any tampering attempts.

Related News

In a related effort to improve revenue collection and monitor energy consumption, the Ministry of Energy, in collaboration with EDSA, has begun routine inspections of meter installations for Tariff 4 (T4) customers in Freetown. T4 customers are defined as those with installed loads exceeding 15KW.

These inspections focus on Maximum Demand Indicators (MDIs) to ensure accurate energy consumption registration and identify potential unauthorized usage. The initiative aims to directly engage with high-demand customers, assess their benefits from EDSA services, and verify that their energy consumption aligns with their installed capacity.

The Ministry and EDSA plan to extend these inspections to other customer categories in the future