Yaka meters or Electricity Metering Payment System to be phased out by October 2024 due to the obsolesce of the current technology and this will affect all electricity clients in Uganda.
The technology of the current Electricity Metering Payment System will expire by November 2024 and it requires to be upgraded according to the Minister for Energy and Mineral Development Hon.Ruth Nankabirwa.
This implies that all electricity consumers must migrate onto the New Token Identification System by November 2024, to be able to purchase Units for their Electricity Supply.
While addressing reporters in Kampala Nankabirwa said that consumers don’t to worry and panic as government has got a solution for the challenge although it has cost implications.
“Token identifier upgrade is crucial matter were all Ugandans need to co-operate because on 22nd May, 2020 the Standard Transfer Specification Association manufactures of Yaka Meters issued a critical notice affecting all users including electricity utility suppliers. The notice indicate that on 24th November 2024 all prepaid meters will stop dispensing electricity.” Hon Nankabirwa explained.
She further said that,” The technical remedy for this challenge is to ‘reset’ each meter to reference a new base date of 2014 using entering two (2) special tokens before November 2024.”
The minister assured the consumers that the distributors have already started doing the entire configuration needed to ensure that meters are updated to eliminate the challenges.
She however warned the public about the fraudsters who would want to take advantage in this program so as to profit in it by fraudulently asking the consumers to pay lump sums of money masquerading in a way of helping them to avoid being affected by the challenge.
‘’I call upon the public to be patient because when technology has globally changed. We can’t stop the world to move on once the new technologies have come, we have to adjust also accordingly.’’
The International Transfer Specification (STI), the International Electrotechnical Commission has been in operation for 20 years since its inception and it has been demonstrated for over 500 utilities worldwide and in over 40 countries and the technology innovators gave it a maximum of that period after which it would expire like the case.
By George Bukenya