SANTIAGO – Yesterday the government announced that it had reached an agreement with the companies Enel, Saesa and Chilquinta, for them to pay $10,000 to users who agree to change their meters for smart meters. “This proposal of being able to incentivize the change with a payment of $10,000 is a proposal that we believe could be interesting for the citizens”, highlighted the Minister of Energy, Susana Jiménez.

Likewise, the Secretary of State pointed out that it was the companies that proposed the amount to be paid and that it was ruled out that a committee of experts would be the ones to define the price to be paid to users. “The truth is that if a new meter is worth between $10,000 and $15,000, probably the amount of a used one is much lower, therefore, we are happy with this proposal”, Minister Jiménez defended the agreement, emphasizing that this payment is “entirely financed by the companies”, and that “it will not be transferred to the tariffs” of the customers.

Doubts to be clarified by the technical committee

The Energy Minister emphasized that it will be up to the technical round table – led by the National Energy Commission (CNE) and made up of the Superintendency of Electricity and Fuels (SEC) and executives of the companies Enel, Saesa, Chilquinta, Fenacopel and CGE – to clarify a series of issues. These include incentive payments, notice, receipt and replenishment protocols. Regarding the cancellation of the $10,000, this instance will have to decide who will be the beneficiaries, whether, for example, it will be cancelled to the owner of the property where the old meter is located or to the tenant who lives in that dwelling. At least, with respect to the payment to users who have already changed their meters, Minister Jiménez clarified that they will receive the payment. CGE has 2.8 million customers, which has not yet defined whether it will add to the $10 thousand payment. There is also the question of whether the recipient of this benefit may choose to have it deposited in a bank account or through discounts in the electricity consumption bill. Another concern is when the customers of the companies that have so far agreed to reach an agreement with the Government will be cancelled. In addition, they must define the payment in the case of industrial customers.

Criticism from the industry

Some industry sources are critical of the agreement between the three companies and the government and claim that it is a “no-win situation”. The above, exemplified the same sources, “would be like a cable company having to pay for the decoder when they take it away, or an Internet company having to pay for the router”. Saesa’s general manager, Francisco Alliende, while noting that the company joined the ministry’s proposal to pay an incentive to customers who agree to the replacement, said that “we feel that the discussion has not given space to convey the real benefits of smart meters”. In this line, we will continue to work together with the other distribution companies on the best proposal that will help us develop an intelligent network that will allow us to be connected to our more than 870 thousand users in the south of Chile.

For his part, the general manager of the consulting firm Systep, Rodrigo JiménezWith respect to the $10,000 payment, he told Emol that “it seems to me to be a good measure in the sense that it takes care of the concern of the citizens on this issue”, however, he stated that “it does not solve the basic problem”. “The underlying problem is this technological change. What is the gradualness and the opportunity in which it has to be implemented, since there are still many other issues in the regulation to be improved so that this type of devices have an effective contribution for the end customer”, commented the analyst and assured that the beginning of the change of meters “should not have been applied so massively”. “The underlying issue has to do with the real benefit to users and how this has to be implemented more gradually in the citizenry and how this is recognized in tariff,” he said.

Source: Emol.com – https://www.emol.com/noticias/Economia/2019/03/29/942799/Pago-de-10000-por-medidores-Las-dudas-que-debera-despejar-la-mesa-tecnica-convocada-por-el-Gobierno.html