A time will come when uninterrupted power generation cannot be guaranteed. Let us not get into the argument of power interruptions caused by the likes of copper cable thieves and Boiler 7.
There can be no doubt that our island will eventually start facing energy or fuel procurement difficulties brought about by scarce petroleum availability, geo-political situations and, last but not least, local bungling.
No doubt, the electrical power smart meters that are due to be installed have their merits. The touted benefits of efficient electrical power supply and distribution are probably swamped by the inefficiency of our current power-generating systems and electrical losses, theft and subsidisation policies.
Consumers’ ability to access consumption data in real time is also great, but the need for technical savvy will limit such benefits to a few. Remote monitoring of consumption would be an important tool for planning and possibly help to identify electricity theft.
Smart meters can also be enabled to interrupt a customer’s power supply if he persistently refuses to settle outstanding bills. This weapon could be at the disposal of the appropriately named ARMS Ltd when bills remain unsettled.
Cutting off power supply to a customer will be as easy as accessing a grid management programme and typing in a few keys. The power to interrupt electricity supply must be overseen by a higher authority guided by established criteria.
We should fast forward to an ‘undefined future date’ when power generation on our island cannot be guaranteed because the required fuel cannot be procured. By then we hope to have an indigenous renewable energy infrastructure which could supply at least 25 per cent of our energy needs, but there still will not be enough power to cater for the whole population.
Under normal circumstances blackouts occur over the whole island. With smart meters, a selection of customers can be cut off on a short- or long-term basis to allow parts of the island to function.
This is where guidelines and an independent authority, which overlooks the selective denial of service, have to be incorporated into our Constitution.
Everybody is equal, so it must be assured that power cut interruptions are shared by everybody in rotation, from the President to the old pensioner living in a tenement house. Exclusion of ‘individuals’ making up the ‘elite’ of our island from being deprived of energy should be unconstitutional.
If some energy is available at all, all households must be given, in rotation, short duration power supply to allow some water heating (hopefully, by then, solar water heaters would be ubiquitous) and refrigerators.
Places with food storage should not have their power supply interrupted. The same applies to telecommunications, health services and the security forces.
I invite anybody with influence to look into the implications of discrimination and abuse of power with control over smart meter capabilities and carry this thought into the political forum.