The Electric Power Corporation (E.P.C.) is yet to satisfy the requirements of the Office of the Regulator in relation to its rollout of the Smart Meter Project.

Regulator Lematua Gisa Fuatai Purcell confirmed when questioned by Samoa Observer on Thursday that the power company is still carrying out the recommendations that were issued by her office which they continue to monitor.

“Smart meters, the E.P.C. is still working on it and we keep getting the reports. Until the E.P.C. has satisfied everything that the Regulator had asked them to do then we will make a decision,” Lematua said.

The rollout of the smart meters proved to be problematic and required a software upgrade which would allow the topped amount to show on the meters almost instantly.

Lematua also confirmed that there will be changes in the price of electricity as the cost of production remained stagnant.

“Every month we review the proposal of the cost of producing electricity every month,” she said.

In December 2021, the Regulator directed the E.P.C. to immediately cease the installation of smart meters after members of the public made complaints about the technology.

This was the second time the Office had ordered a temporary stop on the $4.1 million project due to complaints from the public over the accuracy of the system.

In August 2020 the Office ordered the halting of the smart meter after a survey of residents who were using the new cash power system revealed many were facing problems with the system. It wasn’t until December 2020 that the E.P.C. rolled out an upgrade to the smart meters system to address complaints by customers, including delayed activation after customers paid for a top-up.

Some 3,000 households were part of that upgrade with a reprogramming of the software using firmware. With firmware, households' smart meters are expected to receive their units and resumption of electricity supply within a minute after top-up, unlike before where customers had to wait for up to 15 minutes. But the system has proven to be problematic to some members of the public who continue to criticize it.