LocationsAnother batch of smart meters to be installed for 18,000 consumers with support from Italy and UNDP
March 10, 2025
The third batch of 18.000 smart meters and associated equipment for the development of advanced metering infrastructure has been delivered. The pilot smart metering project for electricity is implemented by the Ministry of Energy, with support from UNDP Moldova and funding from the Government of Italy. The initiative contributes to more efficient energy demand management, network balancing, a resilient energy infrastructure, and alignment with European standards.
This batch complements the delivery of over 14,000 smart meters in the second phase. As a result, 32,000 smart meters will be installed throughout 2025 for consumers within the Central-South distribution network by Premier Energy Distribution and in the Northern distribution area by RED Nord. 3,000 meters were installed in 2024. Another 25,000 meters will be installed in 2026. By 2027, 60,000 households are expected to be equipped with smart meters, representing 4.3% of the total 1.4 million electricity consumers.
In addition to the meters, distribution operators have received essential equipment for the creation of smart metering infrastructure, including data concentrators for collecting and transmitting meter data to central systems, Head-End System (HES) servers for data management and processing, consumption data storage systems, and communication modules. This infrastructure will enable technology testing and lay the foundation for the future national roll out of smart meters.
Furthermore, electricity supply operators Premier Energy Furnizare and FEE Nord benefit from essential components to support the smart metering infrastructure for consumption management and customer billing. They now have access to billing servers, transaction and consumption data processing systems, uninterruptible power supply units for operational continuity, billing function management systems, and time synchronization systems.
The consumption points where smart meters will be installed as part of the pilot project were selected through a transparent process, ensuring national representativity. The selection criteria included:
- geographic location – covering both urban and rural areas;
- population density – including both densely populated localities (more than 40,000 households) and less populated areas (fewer than 500 households);
- electricity consumption – ranging from households consuming less than 10 kWh per month to those exceeding 180 kWh per month;
- available electrical infrastructure – considering the diversity of installations, from modern grids to older electrical networks, to test technology compatibility;
- energy vulnerability – to assess the impact of smart meters on vulnerable consumers.
Following the selection criteria, two sampling methods were applied. In stratified sampling, the population was divided into distinct groups based on the mentioned criteria. In random sampling, the final selection of consumption points was conducted randomly through multiple iterations within each group. After determining the sample, the Chi-square (Chi²) test was applied, a statistical tool used to verify whether the sample distribution accurately reflects the characteristics of the general population. This step was essential to ensure that the obtained results are relevant and can be extrapolated at a national level.
Smart meters will bring benefits to both consumers and system operators. These modern devices measure and record energy consumption securely and without operator errors, eliminating the need for manual data reading. They allow for the recording of multiple pricing structures, enabling end-users to benefit from differentiated tariffs. Additionally, they measure both consumed and generated electricity, providing significant advantages for prosumers.
Moreover, real-time data transmission enables distribution operators to automatically identify the causes of technical failures in the network, reduce intervention times, and monitor key technical parameters related to electricity quality.
