SaskPower customers expecting to have their meters changed out this spring to the new smart power metres, will have to wait a little longer.

Initial plans were to bring new meters to rural and farming customers. But the power company says it is unable to acquire the meters due to a supply chain issue causing a lack of microchips.

SaskPower spokesperson Joel Cherry says the impact of global supply chain issues are affecting numerous industries in addition to a global shortage of microchips.

“It’s affecting everyone from the automobile industry to meter production.”

Rural and farming customers were among the first to receive notification that new meters would be installed this spring. The Crown power company now says the program is paused indefinitely.

Cherry says they are waiting for word from their supplier as to when new meters will be available and when they get that word then installations will resume.

The company announced in the latter part of 2021 that they would be preparing to install smart meters throughout the province after an initial project saw the meters placed on the homes of 17,000 Saskatchewan residents.

CKRM