From pv magazine Brazil
Brazil’s MME has opened a public consultation on guidelines for smart meter deployment, aiming to modernize the electricity sector, reduce losses and operating costs, improve service quality, and give consumers more control over energy use.
Smart meters record consumption remotely and establish two-way communication between consumers and distributors. Key functions include telemetry, remote connection and disconnection, fraud and fault detection, power quality monitoring, and integration with digital platforms. They support more accurate billing, strengthen grid management, and increase transparency.
The consultation outlines several measures, including installing smart meters in 4% of consumer units in concession areas within 12 months, setting minimum device functionalities, allowing resources from the Energy Efficiency Program (PEE) to be used, and defining guidelines for cost-benefit analyses of deployment in the medium and long term. Meeting the 4% target would mean about 3.6 million new meters nationwide.
Utilities have already begun large-scale rollouts. Enel SP had equipped 12% of its consumer units with smart meters by 2024, while Copel reached 33%. Cemig has replaced more than 2 million meters across 774 municipalities in Minas Gerais since 2021, with plans to install over 400,000 more in 2025, backed by a BRL 70 million ($13.1 million) investment.
Cemig’s program includes smart meters in the Belo Horizonte Metropolitan Region, with devices sending real-time data to distributors and enabling faster outage detection. Future services will allow customers to view detailed consumption reports via apps such as Cemig Atende.
Copel is leading a Smart Electric Grid program that targets 2 million smart meters by the end of 2025, covering 155 municipalities in Paraná. To date, it has installed 1.7 million units supplied by Nansen and Eletra Energy, part of China’s Hexing Group. These meters transmit 15-minute consumption data automatically, eliminating manual readings and enabling faster fault correction, while also integrating with digital billing and mobile apps. Copel said the program cuts vehicle use, reduces fraud, and supports smart city development.
CPFL Energia plans to replace 1.6 million conventional meters by 2029 in cities served by CPFL Paulista, Piratininga, and Santa Cruz. The BRL 1.2 billion program includes BRL 800 million in financing from BNDES Mais Inovação and aims to benefit 400,000 consumers annually. Pilot projects carried out in Jaguariúna between 2018 and 2019 will be scaled up under the rollout.
“Smart grids are one of the biggest technological developments in the distribution sector. Replacing meters is the foundation of this transformation, which puts the customer at the center and offers efficiency, detailed consumption monitoring, and a new consumer experience,” said CPFL Energia President Gustavo Estrella.
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