Expert panel calls for domestic switch to smart prepaid metering in Papua New Guinea

NEW DELHI: An industry committee has recommended smart prepaid metering for domestic piped natural gas (PNG) across the country, calling it a “critical and forward-thinking reform” for the industry.In a recent report to the Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board (PNGRB), the commission said the shift is critical to address long-standing challenges such as billing inefficiencies, consumer defaults, high operating costs, security risks and limited visibility into consumption and network performance.It recommends installing smart prepayment meters on all new connections within six months of the regulatory revision and setting out a four-phase rollout plan to replace existing conventional meters.As of January 31, Papua New Guinea had nearly 1.65 billion domestic connections, in addition to 48,568 commercial connections and 21,512 industrial connections, of which Rs 1.03 million were active connections. Amid global disruptions to LPG supplies, the Papua New Guinea government has accelerated its adoption of LPG, gasifying 480,000 connections since March and recording 530,000 new registrations.While some gas companies have begun installing smart meters to a limited extent, they are using different technologies in the absence of standardized guidelines and necessary regulatory changes.A five-member panel headed by PNGRB Secretary Anjan Kumar Mishra conducted a detailed technical and economic assessment and held consultations with gas companies before making recommendations.Since gas companies stand to gain the most from the transition – through reduced bad debts, reduced manual billing costs and improved cash flow – the committee recommends that additional costs arising from this change should not be passed on to consumers but should be borne by CGD entities.