Patna: Bihar has emerged as the country’s leader in smart metering with 92 lakh prepaid smart meters installed across the state, accounting for nearly 70% of all such meters in India, energy secretary Ajay Yadav said on Friday.Addressing the 7th CII International Energy Conference & Exhibition (IECE 2026) in New Delhi, Yadav said Bihar also accounts for about 30% of the country’s total smart meter installations, including both prepaid and postpaid connections.Highlighting the state’s power sector reforms, he said billing efficiency improved from 75.14% in 2019-20 to 88.46% in 2025-26, while collection efficiency rose from 86% to 100%. Aggregate Technical and Commercial (AT&C) losses fell from 35.12% to 11.54% during the period. The gap between the Average Cost of Supply and Average Revenue Realised has also turned positive.Yadav said prepaid smart metering has reduced power theft, virtually eliminated arrears, improved billing efficiency and boosted consumer confidence. Nearly 10 billion data points generated through the system are helping utilities analyse consumption patterns, forecast demand and improve operations. Time-of-Day tariffs, he added, are also supporting better demand-side management.The state has installed nearly two lakh distribution transformer meters, enabling real-time monitoring, predictive maintenance and improved asset planning, resulting in a more reliable distribution network.Outlining the next phase of reforms, Yadav said Bihar is promoting industrialisation, planning 12 greenfield satellite townships and expanding infrastructure to support growth. The state has recorded a peak power demand of around 9,475 MW this year while maintaining 23-24 hours of electricity supply in urban areas and 22-23 hours in rural areas.He said the focus has now shifted from ensuring power availability to improving quality through IoT-based monitoring, GIS-enabled asset mapping, Digital Asset Registers, an integrated CRM platform and the Suvidha Bihar Portal, which offers 21 online consumer services.
