Poland’s Tauron Dystrybucja snags 1 million smart meter rollout subsidy

Polish DSO Tauron Dystrybucja has secured over PLN173 million ($44 million) for the ongoing purchase and installation of smart meters.

The subsidy from Poland’s National Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management, the largest the company has received so far and amounting to almost half of the PLN375 million total cost of the currently planned tranche of meters, is aimed to support the ongoing installation of over one million smart meters by the end of 2025.

Currently, smart meters have been installed for over 1.25 million of the company’s customers.

By the end of 2025, there should be approximately 2.1 million smart meters operating in Tauron Dystrybucja’s networks, corresponding to more than 35% of the company’s customers.

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“Remote reading meters offer a number of benefits for our customers,” says Maciej Mróz, Vice President for Operations at Tauron Dystrybucja.

“First of all is the ability to control their energy consumption. The new meters will also shorten the time of handling customer requests and cases such as meter reading, change of tariff group or connection of the meter after switching off, as well as quick and efficient identification and removal of failures related to the network and the meter.

“For the company, in turn, it means better management of the power grid, minimising the time of power outages, or the ability to analyse the quality of electricity supplied to customers.”

Józef Matysiak, Deputy President of the Management Board of the National Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management, adds: “We finance projects that contribute to the energy transition and improve the quality of life of Poles.”

The new meters are being installed at both customers whose current meters are about to be legalised as well as those newly connected to the grid and also at prosumers.

The smart meters are the subject of two co-financing agreements with Poland‘s National Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management, with co-funding from the EU Emissions Trading Scheme’s Modernisation Fund.

Under the first more than 347,000 units are being installed within Tauron Dystrybucja’s branches in Wałbrzych, Będzin, Bielsko Biała, Jelenia Góra, Legnica and Tarnów.

Under the second 555,000 units are due to be installed in the company’s operations in Częstochowa, Gliwice, Kraków and Opole.

Under Poland’s metering act the DSOs are required to complete their smart meter installations by 2031.