AMI system launched in IESCO to reduce power losses, enhance power bill recovery: Dastgir

ISLAMABAD: Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) system has been launched in Islamabad Electric Supply Company (IESC) mainly to reduce power sector losses, enhance quality of billing and recoveries, control power loadshedding and address consumers complaints of overbilling.

Minister for Power Engineer Khurram Dastgir on Friday while addressing the launching of AMI project here at Islamabad Electric Supply Company (IESCO) said that the energy ministry is planning to roll out Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) Meters soon in Pakistan. He said that all electricity meters installed at Rawalpindi Cantonment and Rawalpindi City Circle are being switched to Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) in the first phase with an estimated cost of $95 million.

Khurram said that the Asian Development Bank (ADB) has provided $ 170 million financial assistance for the AMI project which would help round the clock monitoring of meters. He said that all power distribution companies (DISCOs) have already been directed to install AMI meters on all industrial, commercial, bulk power supply and agriculture connections in order to ensure round the clock monitoring of the meters. He said the AMI system would help identify areas of power pilferage and power losses. The system would also be installed at all high losses feeders and transformers in all DISCOs, said the power minister.

The AMI system was earlier installed at Multan and Lahore Electric Supply Companies at a very limited level, the minister added.

“The IESCO AMI system would be replicated in other DISCOs,” said Khurram Dastgir, adding,” On the directives of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, all out efforts were being made to reduce cost of electricity so that maximum relief could be given to the consumers.”

The power minister also said that the government was going for bidding of 600 MW solar energy projects by the end of this month or in December so that costly power plants could be replaced with cheap power generating resources. He said that all government owned buildings were also being switched on solar energy. He said it is critical for us that the power consumers are not overcharged and we are making efforts to reduce the cost of electricity in the country. He also said that once it will be installed in high theft-profile areas, it will be easier to identify spots where theft intensity is high. It is one of the biggest projects in Pakistan and will yield significant learning, said Khurram Dastgir.

It is pertinent to mention here that Karachi has been benefitting from AMI Metering since 2010 and has helped K-Electric to significantly reduce its aggregate technical & commercial (AT&C) through improved monitoring. The National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA) had also been organizing consultative sessions with K-Electric and XWDISCOs so that AMI can be adopted by them as well.