The Central Electricity Authority (CEA) has notified the draft CEA (Installation and Operation of Meters) (5th Amendment) Regulations, 2025.
As per the amendment, a key change includes the revision of the definition of ‘interface meter,’ which will now refer to a meter used for accounting and billing of electricity at the point of interconnection between electrical systems of generating companies, licensees, and consumers, directly connected to the inter state transmission system, intra state transmission system, or distribution system, and those permitted open access at voltage levels exceeding 650 volts. Additionally, the amendment introduces provisions ensuring that consumers connected at voltage levels not exceeding 650 volts and permitted open access shall be supplied electricity through smart meters as per relevant IS standards. The regulations also mandate that advanced metering infrastructure systems must align with the ‘guidelines for standardisation and interoperability in advanced metering infrastructure systems for end to end communication between smart meter, head end system, and meter data management, as issued and updated by the authority.