Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development officials inspect prepaid electricity meters procured under EASP ahead of their deployment to electricity distribution utilities.Uganda’s Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development (MEMD) has received more than 270,000 prepaid electricity meters that are currently undergoing quality testing by the Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS) ahead of deployment.Implemented under the Electricity Access Scale-Up Project (EASP), with support from the World Bank, Government aims to accelerate electricity access for households, commercial enterprises and public institutions across the country.The Project targets one million new electricity connections.Once certified, the meters will support the accelerated connection of customers, including thousands who are already awaiting connection, while advancing the Government’s broader objective of expanding electricity access and unlocking its economic and social benefits across the country.The meters have been procured through two complementary arrangements under EASP. Under the Results-Based Financing (RBF) arrangement, the Uganda Electricity Distribution Company Limited (UEDCL) has so far received 150,000 single-phase prepaid meters, together with associated connection materials. A Ministry team recently inspected the consignment at UEDCL stores in Lugogo and Ntinda.Additionally, MEMD has received another 123,000 prepaid meters procured directly under the Project. Once they complete the UNBS certification process, these meters will be released for deployment by UEDCL, the West Nile Rural Electrification Company (WENRECO) and Kalangala Infrastructure Services (KIS).UNBS testing is a critical step before deployment, ensuring that the meters installed for customers meet the required national standards for quality, accuracy and performance.Eng Irene Batebe, the Permanent Secretary in the MEMD, says a key priority will be addressing the backlog of customers who have already applied for electricity but are still waiting to be connected.Prepaid electricity meters procured by the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development under EASP, ready for deployment to UEDCL, Kalangala Infrastructure Services (KIS) and West Nile Rural Electrification Company (WENRECO) following UNBS quality testing.Sylvia Birungi Sylvia, the Connections Manager EASP, says: “Officials from the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development (MEMD) visited the UNBS testing facility to assess progress and confirm that logistical arrangements were in place for the timely movement of metres between storage and the testing facility.”Building on 235,000 connectionsThe new supplies come at a time when implementation of EASP is gathering momentum. The Project has already supported approximately 235,000 electricity connections, with the additional meters and associated materials expected to significantly increase the pace of connections over the coming months.More supplies are also in the pipeline. Under the RBF arrangement, UEDCL is expected to receive additional meters, bringing the total supplied through this mechanism to approximately 270,000 by the end of 2026.Eng. Irene Batebe, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development. Under EASP, the Ministry is scaling up the supply of prepaid meters and connection materials to accelerate electricity access across Uganda.The Project is also providing the wider range of materials required to complete electricity connections. These include; treated wooden poles, low-voltage cables, aerial bundled conductors, earth wires, stay wires and accessories required to complete new connections.From procurement to connectionsEven as the Government moves to accelerate connections, quality assurance remains an integral part of the programme. The prepaid meters currently being processed include equipment manufactured by Inhemeter, Chint, Hexing and other approved suppliers, with UNBS responsible for verifying compliance with applicable standards before deployment.Robert Mubiru, the Project Manager EASP, says: “With 235,000 connections already achieved, further supplies are expected before the end of the year and additional connection materials are in the pipeline.”For UEDCL, the expanded stock is expected to provide the materials needed to progressively scale up towards approximately 40,000 connections per month, helping clear the existing backlog while accommodating new applications. The post 1 Million Connections Target: Gov’t Receives 270,000 Prepaid Meters for Faster Power Rollout appeared first on Business Focus.