Steelport Residential Mining Complex Records Revenue Increase
More than 95% revenue increase at Steelport Residential Mining Complex
The revenue collection has tremendously improved since March 2012, when Palace Group handed over the Steelport residential complex site to the client, Xstrata after the smart meters were installedby the Group. This is consistent with the requirements of the client and our promise.
Palace Group through Grinpal, a 100% owned subsidiary of the Group and a solutions provider in the smart energy solutions field, installed smart electricity pre-paid meters at listed mining giant, Xstrata’s Steelport residential mining complex in 2012. This is residential complex officially opened in 2011. This project was efficiently delivered by the company, in just two weeks. The site was officially handed over to the client, Xstrata, on 16th March 2012.
The revenue collection has tremendously improved since then, with an estimated increase of above 95% from before the hand-over of the site.
With the installation of the Palace Group smart meters, the following benefits are enjoyed by both our client and the complex residents:
• The complex residents have access to electricity pay point 24 hours a day
• The vending station is within close proximity from the complex
• Our client, Xstrata, gets an accurate view of data on electricity consumed and will detect meter tempering and by-pass attempts as and when they happen
Palace is hosting the back-end servers for Xstrata, and provides monthly reporting on revenue and tampers of the meters. No meter tempering has yet been reported since the installation in 2012.
Revenue enhancement and protection are key attributes of the Palace Group owned smart meter systems. The client is currently recording a consistent and reliable revenue uptake. It must be said that this is a small project, yet it illustrates the flexibility of the smart metering systems to be installed anywhere with similar positive results.
Historical background of the need for the Palace Group smart solution
Xstrata experienced problems with their customers living in their Steelport residential complex defaulting in electricity payments as well as by-passing the existing and faulty electricity meters. Compounding the problem even further, was the long distance that had to be travelled by the complex residents in the complex in their quest to purchase electricity tokens.
Project scope
Grinpal was appointed to replace existing pre-paid meters in the residential complex with the new Grinpal designed pre-paid smart meters. The scope of work included decommissioning of the old meters, installation and commission of the smart meters, installation of a vending station, installation of the meter communication equipment and capturing of the customers details. To ensure ease of access for the complex residents when it comes to purchasing electricity, Grinpal installed a vendor at a local Sasol filling station.
Palace Group is active in small, medium and large sized smart metering projects in different parts of Africa and beyond. We are committed to changing the face of smart meters, from mere products to holistic solutions for sustaining utilities and delivering efficient service to the end-use.
More on: www.palacegroup.co.za/smartsolutions
Send us an email: info@palacegroup.co.za